UCI MIND Co-Director, Dr. Frank LaFerla, discusses Alzheimer's disease research funding with CNBC... California, one of the few states that does Alzheimer's research, has even cut back its funding, said Dr. Frank LaFerla, dean of the UCI School of Biological Sciences at University of California Irvine. "Almost all funding comes from the NIH now," he said. Dr. LaFerla, who is waiting for his own Alzheimer research grants to be approved, is also an advocate. He also takes regular trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress to push for more money that creates "a healthy ecosystem in the…
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Several incredible organizations came together on Sunday, April 30, in Marina del Rey for an explosion of sound, spirit, and information. CANVAS and Betty’s Foundation were joined by Music & Memory and UCI MIND for an incredible evening that featured live musical performances, touching portrayals of the impact music can have on the lives of people with dementia, and a lecture on the neuroscience of music from UCI MIND’s own Dr. Joshua Grill. The powerful evening concluded with CANVAS making a donation of $1000 to Betty’s Foundation to support their work as a non-profit organization committed to eliminating Alzheimer’s disease. Betty’s…
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UCI MIND investigators Mathew Blurton-Jones, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior, Wayne Poon, PhD, Director of UCI MIND Tissue Repository, and Edsel Abud, MD/PhD student, have created a method to generate brain cells called microglia using human skin cells. Here, they discuss their findings and what it means for Alzheimer's disease research in an interview with Chelsea Cox, Associate Director of Education: What is microglia and what role does it play in Alzheimer's disease? Poon: Microglia are the immune cells of the brain. They play a big role in the inflammation of the brain that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. How can…
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UCI-led study to advance understanding of the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease Using human skin cells, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and their colleagues have created a method to generate one of the principle cell types of the brain called microglia, which play a key role in preserving the function of neural networks and responding to injury and disease. The finding marks an important step in the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for targeted approaches to better understand and potentially treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. These iPS cells are derived from existing adult skin cells and…
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"UCI MIND, Orange County’s only state and federally funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, is calling on Orange County residents age 65 to 85 who have normal memory function to help in meeting its urgent need for study participants in an active clinical study now underway. The researchers are hoping to find new ways to prevent, slow, and/or stop Alzheimer’s disease before it begins..." read more>
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by Joshua Grill, PhD April 12, 2017 On April 6, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) partially reversed an earlier decision to halt direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing by the company 23andMe, a personal genomics company based in Silicon Valley. The new decision approves the company to provide “genetic health risk reports” for 10 diseases, including 8 rare disorders—Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Celiac Disease, Early-Onset Primary Dystonia, Factor XI Deficiency, G6PD Deficiency, Gaucher Disease, Hereditary Hemochromatosis, and Hereditary Thrombophilia—and two common age-related neurological disorders—Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). After age, the strongest risk factor for AD is genetics. The e4…
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by Mary Rechtoris - April 5, 2017 Researchers spanning the nation are working to employ analytics to drive real changes for patients with various conditions. Joshua Grill, PhD, co-director of the Memory Impairments Neurological Disorders Institute at University of California Irvine, details how he and fellow researchers are using analytics systems for clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease research and how data may shape trials moving forward...
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by Joshua Grill, PhD Letters: A quick cure for Alzheimer's? OC Register, March 29, 2017 Re: “Is Alzheimer’s treatment of injecting stem cells into the brain a breakthrough or quackery?” : The Register recently reported on a local neurosurgeon who is injecting liposuctioned stem cell serum into the brain of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease for $10,000 per treatment. The neurosurgeon says the patient is improving...
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American Academy of Neurology March 22, 2017 UCI MIND faculty member, Dr. Claudia Kawas, was announced as one of two recipients of the 2017 Potamkin Prize for her dementia research in The 90+ Study. Dr. Kawas has studied over 1,700 people over the age of 90, called the "oldest-old," to understand more about brain aging and Alzheimer's disease in the fastest-growing population segment throughout much of the world. The $100,000 Potamkin Prize is an internationally-recognized achievement, sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize of Alzheimer's research. The other recipient, Dr. Kristine Yaffe from UCSF, focuses on modifiable risk factors for dementia, such as sleep disturbances and traumatic…
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