Must Reads

• A July 11, 2013 Reuters article reported that Italian researchers have found that "People with Alzheimer's disease have a lower risk of cancer than other elderly adults." According to the article, "Researchers said there are a number of genes that affect both neurology and cancer growth - and pathways by which the two are connected - that could explain the "unexpected" inverse link between the diseases." Also covered by USA Today.
• A July 11, 2013 New York Times article profiled the life of one Alzheimer's caregiver and the impact of caregiving on her family. According to Jeanine Grimaldi, "Alzheimer’s is an insidious disease. It is hard to explain to others, especially to people my own age, because we are visual people, and the dementia’s destruction can’t always be seen physically...I always wonder how my grandmother would fare if she had no family or if we lived far away. My parents, aunt, uncle, cousins and sisters all know that taking care of Grandma is hard, but we give her the best quality of life we can. Some days are still fun and rewarding and others are incredibly tough but we are all working together. I know my grandfather Rocky would have been pleased."

• A July 11, 2013 Boston Globe article reported that Deborah Dunsire, former CEO of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, will take over EnVivo, a maker of "drugs to treat central nervous systems." According to the article, "Its lead drug candidate, which is entering late-stage clinical trials, seeks to improve cognition for patients suffering from schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease." According to Dunsire, "I’ve always loved to build...The opportunity to build a company in an area so rife with need as the neuroscience area is very exciting.”

• A July 10, 2013 MedPage article reported that a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found "Americans are living longer, but that longevity includes more aches, pains, and disability compared with comparably wealthy nations, a study of population health in 34 countries." According to the article, "Here's how other major disabilities placed: diabetes (8th on the list), asthma (10th), Alzheimer's disease (12th), ischemic heart disease (16th), stroke (17th), diarrheal diseases (29th), and epilepsy (30th)."
• A July 10, 2013 FierceBiotech article reported that the European Commission and Europe's pharmaceutical community pledged $4.4 billion for programs "focused on innovative treatments over the next 10 years." According to the article, "The projects are expected to focus on advancing new antibiotics and treatments for major health threats such as Alzheimer's disease."

• A July 10, 2013 Bright Focus Foundation Press Release announced grant awards totaling $7.2 million to 53 scientists in 16 states and four foreign countries to fight Alzheimer's. According to the release, "The funded research projects reflect the full range of new tools and innovations—in imaging technology, gene therapy, and cell regeneration—that scientists are using to better understand how diseases of mind and sight develop. Study results could lead to new therapies to prevent or treat these diseases."