Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) Award By the time they’re 40, most people with Down syndrome develop beta amyloid plaques in the brain — a key characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe this is because they have an extra copy of chromosome 21, which carries an amyloid-producing gene. Many people with Down syndrome do develop Alzheimer’s disease, but some manage to avoid the devastating neurodegenerative consequences despite having these plaques in their brains. To learn more about the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, UCI School of Medicine researchers are spearheading a major international research effort that…
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Carol Robertson, 105, of St. Paul, gets her COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 4 at a HealthPartners Clinic in Woodbury, Minn. She shows a photo on a phone of herself at a younger age. Courtesy of HealthPartners file On Monday, MPR News host Kerri Miller talked to two researchers, including UCI MIND investigator Claudia Kawas, MD, about what they’re learning about living to be 100. Do you have to win the genetic lottery to live an entire century? Or could research unlock the secret to living longer and living longer well? Listen here >
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Contributed by Orange County Aging Services Collaborative It is important that our most vulnerable community members have access to COVID-19 vaccination appointments. The Abrazar team can assist clients with scheduling an appointment. If needed, transportation can also be scheduled. Please note that the age eligibility is now 50+ (see below for other eligible community members). VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Call Abrazar’s COVID-19 Vaccination Call Center at (714) 278-4670. All questions can be sent to covidinfo@abrazarinc.com Call Center Team Members are bilingual and speak English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Referrals for other languages can be made. Case managers and family members can call…
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UC Irvine’s very own Carol Choi has been named among the 74th Assembly District 2021 Women of Distinction by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. The annual recognition occurs each March in honor of Women’s History Month to recognize women “who have shown extraordinary work, mentorship and leadership.” For those who are privileged to know and work with Carol Choi, this honor comes as no surprise. Carol embodies leadership through service on several committees at UC Irvine, including as a University Trustee. Additionally, Carol serves as Board Chair of the Korean American Alumni Chapter of the Alumni Association whose Founding President, Alexander Kim,…
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Contributed by the National Institute on Aging: NIA is pleased to announce Alzheimers.gov, a new website designed to educate and support people whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The website serves as the federal government portal for dementia information and resources. To develop Alzheimers.gov, we collaborated with people living with dementia, caregivers, advocates, researchers, and others to ensure an informative, easy-to-use, and empowering website. We are delighted to share it with you. Whether you are living with dementia, a family member or friend, health care professional, researcher, or advocate, Alzheimers.gov is designed for you. Explore the…
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Last week, UCI MIND’s trainee-led organization REMIND hosted their 12th Annual Emerging Scientists Symposium. The event was hosted virtually on Zoom for the first time and featured six trainee presentations: Sepideh Kiani Shabestari in Dr. Blurton-Jones' lab, Emily Miyoshi in Dr. Swarup's lab, Michael Neel in Dr. Monuki's lab, Dr. Christian Crouzet in Dr. Choi's lab, Dr. Angela Gomez in Dr. Tenner's lab, and Dr. Atena Zahedi in Dr. Anderson's lab. Presentations were followed by a trainee poster competition with innovative research projects on Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders and a keynote lecture from Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray from Stanford…
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Yesterday, March 21st, was World Down Syndrome Day, a dedicated day to advocate for the rights of people with Down syndrome. Did you know that people with Down syndrome are at significantly increased risk to develop Alzheimer’s dementia? https://youtu.be/H6iOWifbtK8 In this video clip, Paula Gann, mother of a daughter with Down syndrome and member of the California Governor's Task Force on Alzheimer's Prevention & Preparedness, shares how she and her daughter Kyle are working with UCI MIND researchers to advance knowledge, treatment, and care for people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more about Down syndrome research at…
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The UCI professor has dedicated her career to finding answers to a rare genetic disease’s most crucial questions. An estimated 30,000 genes make up the human genome, with an individual’s entire uniqueness created by genetic mutations. From tissues and blood as well as distinctive physical features, like eye and hair color to temperament and so much more, genes are the coded instructions for building an entire person. But sometimes those instructions contain errors and genes can mutate to form many different things, including diseases. One such disease, Huntington’s disease, is a rare, inherited disease triggered by a single genetic mutation…
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Research aims to gain knowledge for the betterment of humankind. UCI MIND is committed to research to discover solutions for Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. The risk and burden of these diseases are not evenly distributed among American communities. It is critical that research be inclusive and diverse, and representative of our richly diverse nation. Many barriers to participation in research exist, especially from American communities of color. These barriers are exacerbated by health and healthcare disparities that must be overcome to fulfill our mission of a world without Alzheimer’s disease. Similarly, political and cultural barriers must be overcome to ensure racial justice,…
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UCI MIND Director Dr. Josh Grill takes some deep dives into promising findings in clinical trials for medications treating Alzheimer's disease. Listen to the latest episode of KUCI's podcast, Ask A Leader here >
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