Star-Ledger editorial calls on Congress to restore funding for medical research  first NIH grant awarded to the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and hope in the R&D pipeline for Alzheimer's drugs (read more).

Must Reads

• An August 4, 2013 Star-Ledger (NJ) editorial called for restored funding for medical research. According to the editorial, "At a time when we are the verge of so many scientific breakthroughs, the U.S. government is senselessly cutting back its investment in basic research, yielding ground as other countries rush to ramp up their own efforts…Remember, breakthroughs that cure diseases can not only save lives, but save money. Imagine what we’d be paying to treat and house polio victims today, if we hadn’t developed a vaccine. Research could do the same for diabetes, many types of cancers, or Alzheimer’s, which alone costs about $200 billion a year…Our priority should be finding cures for diseases like cancer, not the instant gratifications of Congress." 
• An August 4, 2013 The Advocate article reported that the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention at Pennington Biomedical Research Center received an NIH grant of $485,000 to study the effectiveness of different interventions to improve cognitive function and reduce fall risk.

• An August 2, 2013 Science Daily article reported on the drug pipeline in development to treat Alzheimer's. According to the article, "The future is looking good for drugs designed to combat Alzheimer's disease. EPFL scientists have unveiled how two classes of drug compounds currently in clinical trials work to fight the disease. Their research suggests that these compounds target the disease-causing peptides with high precision and with minimal side-effects. At the same time, the scientists offer a molecular explanation for early-onset hereditary forms of Alzheimer's, which can strike as early as thirty years of age. "