The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other people in the Black community are atrocities that both warrant and demand the current national and global response. Sadly, these recent events also serve as a reminder of historical atrocities done to Black people and other diverse communities in the name of science. Researchers, like political leaders, must use this time to further open our minds, our ears, and our hearts to combat racism. Racial and ethnic health disparities permeate our society and Alzheimer’s is no exception. Risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is higher…
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Why are animal models used to study Alzheimer's? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Join UCI MIND for a live Q&A on Facebook with Dr. Frank LaFerla this Friday, June 5th at 11:00-11:30 AM PST: https://facebook.com/UCIrvineMIND/videos/554909168796463/
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The journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the journal included a list of their 10 most accessed papers of the last year. A manuscript by UCI MIND researchers Hayk Davtyan, Morgan Coburn, David Cribbs, and Mathew Blurton-Jones made the list. Their article, “Testing a MultiTEP-based combination vaccine to reduce Aβ and tau pathology in Tau22/5xFAD bigenic mice” had been accessed by researchers more than 14,000 times! Congratulations to their team. To read more, Dr. Davtyan spoke about the manuscript on page 7 of the Winter 2020 Newsletter.
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Dear Friends of UCI MIND, In light of the current events, UCI has decided to postpone its annual UCI Giving Day - scheduled for today, June 3 - to ensure we are giving space to the important messages that need to be communicated during this uncertain time. On behalf of the faculty and staff at UCI MIND, thank you for your ongoing support in the fight against Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Sincerely, Joshua D. Grill, PhD Director of UCI MIND
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In March, the UCI Medical Center became the first hospital in Orange County to provide COVID-19 testing. In this episode of the UCI Podcast Video Series, UCI MIND faculty member Dr. Ed Monuki, chair of pathology who leads UCI Health’s testing efforts, discusses how the campus came together to address this community need and how future testing for the coronavirus and its antibodies will play an important role with the resumption of our regular daily activities, like going back to work or the classroom. https://youtu.be/U6MJL-KoOrU
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Message from the Director Dear Friends of UCI MIND, Since writing my last message for our Winter 2020 issue, we have all had our worlds turned upside down by COVID-19. At UCI MIND, we have faced challenges and have had to temporarily adapt our research programs. But, I know these challenges pale in comparison to those faced by members of our community. I’m especially concerned about the additional challenges faced by caregivers of people living with dementia, as well as the social isolation physical distancing can bring to older people who are living alone. We are eager to help…
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Dr. Karen Edwards is Professor and Chair of the UCI Department of Epidemiology. Her primary research focus is in genetic epidemiology and the use of multivariate approaches to define phenotypes for complex diseases. Dr. Edwards’ genetic epidemiology research covers a broad range of conditions, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, melanoma and Parkinson’s Disease. She also studies interactions between environmental factors (particularly diet) and genetic susceptibility (Gene x environment interactions) and several interdisciplinary projects that focus on the ethical, legal or social implications of genomics and applications to clinical and public health practice. Dr. Edwards received a MS in Nutrition…
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Respite care provides short-term relief for primary caregivers. Find out more about how to get support from the National Institute on Aging: https://bit.ly/35YKagz Older adults and caregivers are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of COVID-19, and advocacy for respite care is needed now more than ever. California's revised budget cuts critical funding for programs and services for older adults. It eliminates funding for Community-Based Adult Services, the Multi-purpose Senior Services Program, and reduces funding for In-Home Support Services. The changes proposed will have a tremendous impact on local organizations as well as the community members who depend on them. To…
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Jamie Kamel Jamie Kamel (left) is an 8th Grader at Corona del Mar Middle School who is interested in genetics research and CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology. As part of service credit for Boy Scouts, he interviewed Amanda McQuade, REMIND Co-Chair and Doctoral Candidate, to learn about progress in Alzheimer’s research from the perspective of an up-and-coming scientist: Kamel: How did you become interested in Alzheimer’s disease? How did you get where you are today? McQuade: When I was young, I didn’t know I wanted to study Alzheimer’s disease. I first became interested in genetics and biology when I went…
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UCI MIND faculty member Masashi Kitazawa, PhD comments for Scientific American: "In a field where scientists have spent decades focused on genetics and the buildup of damaged protein fragments called beta-amyloid as causes of the disease...now many experts agree that air pollution plays a major role. This assessment is echoed by Masashi Kitazawa, a toxicologist at the University of California, Irvine, and an expert on environmental toxins. “Genetics is huge in Alzheimer's research, and for years almost no one wanted to look beyond genes,” he says. “But in the past three or four years the number of papers linking air pollution and cognitive decline…
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