Advances in Alzheimer’s Research

Is a cure almost within our grasp?

On today's program, host Seán Collins welcomes Dr. Steven Salloway, Dr. Rudy Tanzi, and David Shenk to discuss recent advances in Alzheimer's research and the possibility of early intervention and prevention.

They highlight the significance of targeting amyloid plaques in the brain, but also emphasize the need for treatments that can be administered earlier and more widely — the way statins are used to forestall or prevent atherosclerotic heart disease.

The researchers discuss the role of public funding in drug research and the challenges of developing affordable and accessible treatments. They also touch on the role of imagination in driving scientific discovery and the importance of accurate and responsible journalism in reporting on Alzheimer's research. Overall, they express optimism about the future of Alzheimer's treatment and the potential for significant progress in the coming years.

TRANSCRIPT

Steven Salloway, M.D., MS

Founding Director

The Memory and Aging Program

Butler Hospital

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Professor of Neurology

Warren Alpert Medical School

Brown University

Providence, R.I.

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Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D.

Director

Genetics and Aging Research Unit

Director

McCance Center for Brain Health

Massachusetts General Hospital

Professor of Neurology

Harvard Medical School

Boston, Mass.

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David Shenk

Author

The Forgetting — Alzheimer’s: a Portrait of an Epidemic

Senior Advisor

Cure Alzheimer's Fund

Advisor, dementia-related issues

President's Council on Bioethics

Brooklyn, N.Y.

CONTRIBUTORS

• Dr Steven Salloway
• Dr Rudy Tanzi
• Seán Collins
• David Shenk

KEYWORDS

• brain research
• alzheimer's disease
• alzheimer’s treatment
• new drug therapies
• neurology