Feinstein Institute Researcher Joins International Partnership in Neuroscience Research
Manhasset, NY (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Monday hosted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dedicated to creating a partnership in neuroscience research, and in particular, research on Alzheimer’s disease. US Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY), and Chakah Fattah (D-PA), along with Feinstein Institute Investigator Peter Davies, PhD, and representatives from other research institutions signed the MOU.
“I am confident that groundbreaking research will come from this partnership that will bring us closer to understanding the brain and finding a treatment, cure or prevention method for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Rep. Israel. “Both Representative Fattah and I have been staunch advocates in Congress for more research for neuroscience and Alzheimer’s disease, and today’s announcement is an important step forward.”
Other institutions joining the partnership were: Cold Spring Harbor Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and Israel Brain Technologies in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.
“It is absolutely essential that scientists involved in neuroscience and Alzheimer’s disease collaborate. We will not cure Alzheimer’s disease by ourselves,” said Peter Davies, PhD, director of the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. “This collaboration represents a concrete step in bringing together five groups that have real interest and commitment to finding effective treatments.”
Barring new medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or stop the disease, and as the US population gets older and life expectancy increases, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s will nearly triple by 2050. Furthermore, total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias are projected to increase to $1.2 trillion in 2050. Even though Alzheimer’s disease is devastating, pervasive and costly, federal funding of research in this area is very low – $400 million per year is dedicated to Alzheimer’s research versus $6 billion per year for cancer research.
The announcement comes one month after Dr. Davies and Rep. Israel announced the formation of the Long Island Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium and that Rep Israel and State Assemblyman Charles Lavine are collaborating with the consortium to create a ten-year bond that would allocate per year $7 of each NY tax payer’s payments to Alzheimer’s disease research. This would add up to $1 billion dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease research.
About Peter Davies, PhD
Peter Davies, PhD, is the director of the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. The Feinstein’s Litwin Zucker Center is the only dedicated Alzheimer’s disease research facility on Long Island. Dr. Davies and his colleagues have conducted dozens of research studies and enrolled thousands of study participants in hopes of identifying new ways to detect and treat Alzheimer’s disease. For more information about the Litwin-Zucker Research Center, call (516) 562-3492.
About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in many areas including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, human genetics, pulmonary hypertension, leukemia, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. For more information, visit http://www.FeinsteinInstitute.org.
Emily Ng, North Shore-LIJ Health System, http://www.northshorelij.com, +1 (516) 465-2600, [email protected]
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