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Monthly Archives

February 2012

Cancer drug rapidly clears amyloid plaques

By In the News
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have demonstrated that bexarotene, an FDA-approved drug for the  treatment of skin cancer, dramatically and rapidly clears amyloid plaques from the brains of mice bred with Alzheimer's disease.  Led by Gary Landreth, Ph.D.,  the study just published on line in Science Express, found that bexarotene not only enhanced clearance of beta amyloid, an abnormal protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, but also improved some cognitive and behavioral functions.   After discovering that Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), the main cholesterol carrier in the brain, facilitates clearance of beta amyloid, Landreth and his colleagues decided…
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Obama boosts Alzheimer’s funding by $130 million

By In the News
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced today that the Obama administration would increase funding for Alzheimer's disease research by $130 million.   An extra $50 million will be made available immediately, and another $80 million will be added to the fiscal year 2013 federal budget to be released next week.  In total, this funding represents a 25% increase in funding for Alzheimer's disease research over the next two years.  An additional $25 million will be allocated for caregiver support, provider education, public awareness, and improvements in data infrastructure.  "We can't wait to confront the growing threat that Alzheimer's…
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Aimee Pierce, M.D., Named Medical Director

By In the News
Dr. Aimee Pierce, Assistant Clinical Professor in UCI’s Department of Neurology, has been named Medical Director of the UCI MIND Memory Assessment Clinic.  Hailing from Eugene, Oregon, Dr. Pierce earned her B.S. in Biology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, and her M.D. at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.  After graduating she completed an internship in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital, a residency in neurology at UCLA, and a fellowship in geriatric neurology and dementia at the VA San Diego Healthcare System affiliated with UCSD.  Dr. Pierce officially joined the Department of Neurology…
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