October 29, 2013
Today's Top Alzheimer's News
Senator Elizabeth Warren calls for doubling federal funding of scientific research, fasting and staving off Alzheimer's, and repurposing skin cancer drugs to treat Alzheimer's (read more).
Must reads
- An October 28, 2013 Boston Globe article reported that Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) "called for doubling federal government funding of scientific and biomedical research and for more consistent financing of the National Institutes of Health, which have both helped fuel the state’s innovation economy." According to the article, "Speaking to a forum held by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Monday, the Massachusetts Democrat said increasing investments into medical research can save lives and money. Research into drugs that delay Alzheimer’s disease and cheaper vaccines can reduce the nation’s health care costs, she said.The National Institutes of Health “drives economic growth in the United States,” Warren said.
Research and science
- An October 28, 2013 Washington Post article reported that "Seniors who don’t sleep well are more likely to have high levels of beta-amyloid, a biomarker for Alzheimer’s, in their brains."
- An October 28, 2013 Bloomberg article reported that fasting twice a week might reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Fasting two or more days a week is catching on as people seek ways to avoid a range of ailments linked to obesity from dementia to cancer. Building on promising findings in studies of mice by the U.S. National Institute of Aging, researchers are planning the first studies in humans of fasting’s potential to stave off the onset of Alzheimer’s. That disease is just one of many in which scientists are making progress understanding how fasting may help prevent illness."
- An October 28, 2013 Las Vegas Review-Journal article reported that the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is testing skin cancer drugs for use in Alzheimer's patients. According to the article, "“We had seen the publication on the animal work that had come out this year, and we realized there was an unusual opportunity to follow up with a clinical trial, so we put it together right away,” Cummings said.He and Zhong had it reviewed by the FDA and raised about $1 million for the study. They began the trial in June with 10 patients but will eventually follow 20. Larger trials can cost upwards of $60 million, Cummings said of the two-month study."