June 28, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Pharma neglects Alzheimer's, new UK survey on the importance of dementia care research, and new research links brain protien to Alzheimer's (read more).
 

 

Must reads

  • A June 27, 2013 Boston Business Journal article highlighted the pharmaceutical industry's neglect of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "The reason I agree that biotech and the public is massively ignoring Alzheimer’s research is based on two, purely economic factors. One is that the Alzheimer’s epidemic is poised to get a lot worse in the coming decades as baby-boomers age. And the second is that the current drug development model is rigged against finding a cure." The article featured USA2's George Vradenburg and Meryl Comer. 
  • A June 27, 2013 Alzheimer's Society article reported that a UK survey of 1,500 people affected by dementia and their carers found that "Research into improving dementia care today is just as important as the search for a cure tomorrow." According to the article, "The findings come at a time of deep pessimism, with pharmaceutical companies publically suggesting they will withdraw from dementia research because of failed clinical trials. Alzheimer's Society hopes that the call to action will act as a roadmap for funders in the sector – already, £2 million of research grants have been allocated in Northern Ireland based on the scheme's list of priorities."
  • A June 26, 2013 AZcentral.com opinion piece by Alzheimer's caregiver Ed Mitchell highlighted the importance of raising Alzheimer's awareness and finding a cure. Mitchell stated, "Seeing my wife’s struggle with early-onset Alzheimer’s puts everything in perspective as we try to maintain normalcy despite her mind being robbed of the treasured memories we have shared in the last four decades…We need to focus on ending this devastating disease before another generation is lost."
 
Research and science 
  • A June 27, 2013 Voice of America article reported that "Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a brain protein that may have a role in causing the dementia of Alzheimer’s disease." According to the article, "The finding could allow scientists to develop more effective treatments...The researchers think the amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s patients make caspace-2 and a few other proteins more active, damaging the way electrical signals travel through the brain."
  • A June 27, 2013 Portland Tribune (OR) article reported on the negative impact of sequestration on medical research. According to the article, "But in recent years NIH funding has declined in terms of real dollars. And this year’s federal sequestration budget set off a dramatic shift in the world of science. Basic research grants are increasingly hard for even established scientists such as Hoatlin to secure. The most devastating result of the reduced funding, say scientists in Portland and around the country, might be the impact on future scientists."