Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease will present key findings in Alzheimer's disease research at the World Alzheimer Congress 2000, July 9-18 at the Washington Hilton and Towers in Washington, DC.
This first-ever event is bringing together more than 5,000 scientific investigators and health care professionals from all parts of the globe for an international exchange of the latest information in three distinct program areas: pivotal research, bridging research and care, and creative care.
An estimated 4 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease (AD). Without a medical breakthrough, baby boomers reaching the age of highest risk-their mid-80s-could advance this number to 14 million by 2050.
Current research suggests that the accumulation of amyloid proteins in the brain and the inheritance of a particular apolipoprotein E gene (apoE4) may be the most important determinants in the development of AD, according to Lennart Mucke, MD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A greater understanding of the biology of these factors will facilitate the development of better drugs to prevent or slow the degeneration of brain cells that causes memory loss and disturbed behavior in this illness, Mucke emphasized.
In recent years, GIND investigators, all of whom are affiliated with UCSF, have begun to unravel how amyloid proteins and apoE4 could impair brain cells and cause age-related cognitive decline. Some of their most important work involves rapid progress in identifying therapeutic strategies that might prevent or inhibit these detrimental effects. To facilitate their studies, Gladstone investigators have developed a range of genetically altered (transgenic) mouse models that simulate various aspects of AD. These animal models make it possible to study and experimentally manipulate the course of the disease and to test the efficacy and safety of drug interventions.
Study findings by the GIND scientists to be reported at Alzheimer 2000 are as follows:
To arrange interviews with Gladstone scientists, contact Corinna Kaarlela in the UCSF News Office at 415-476-3804.
For more information about World Alzheimer Congress 2000, contact the Congress press room at the Washington Hilton and Towers at 202-483-3000.