University of California Irvine: UCI School of Biological Sciences to host lecture on Alzheimer’s
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, five Alzheimer’s disease experts will convene at the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering in Irvine to talk about research, recent advancements, community challenges and next steps. The event, which is open to the public and will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m., will begin with an overview of the state of Alzheimer’s disease research by world-renowned Alzheimer’s researcher Frank LaFerla, Ph.D., dean of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. There will also be a panel discussion, an audience Q&A and a special presentation featuring real brain tissue.
“Alzheimer’s disease is major health crisis now and for the future. In fact, the issue goes beyond finding treatments and cures; there is a very real societal and financial impact from managing the disease and caring for those affected. It is going to require the expertise of everyone from long-term care providers to researchers to meaningfully confront this disease,” LaFerla said. “We are at an inflection point in Alzheimer’s disease research and care where we have the opportunity to double our efforts and truly make a difference for patients and their families.”
He will be joined on the panel by Joshua Grill, Ph.D., director of the UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders and professor of neurobiology and behavior and psychiatry & human behavior; Elizabeth Head, Ph.D., vice chair for research and professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine; David Sultzer, M.D., clinical research director at UCI MIND and professor of psychiatry & human behavior; and Deborah Levy, executive director of the Orange County chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
UCI has long been at the forefront of Alzheimer’s disease research. A team of researchers co-directed by LaFerla; Andrea Tenner, Distinguished Professor of molecular biology and biochemistry and professor of pathology & laboratory medicine and neurobiology and behavior; and Kim Green, professor of neurobiology and behavior, was recently awarded $47 million from the National Institute on Aging to study late-onset Alzheimer’s. This recent grant builds upon numerous awards and philanthropic gifts that UCI Alzheimer’s researchers have received for their groundbreaking work.