U.S. announces new efforts to fight Alzheimer's disease

The U.S. government on Tuesday announced new efforts to fight Alzheimer's disease, including immediately making an additional 50 million U.S. dollars available for cutting-edge Alzheimer's research.In addition, the U.S. government announced that its Fiscal Year 2013 budget will boost funding for Alzheimer's research by 80 million dollars. The announcement also includes an additional 26 million dollars in caregiver support, provider education, public awareness and improvements in data infrastructure."This new funding will accelerate NIH's effort to use the power of science to develop new ways of helping people with Alzheimer's disease and those at risk," said National Institutes of Health ( NIH) Director Francis Collins.The additional NIH research funding will support both basic and clinical research. Investments will include research to identify genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and testing therapies in individuals at the highest risk for the disease. On the clinical side, the funds may be used to expand efforts to move new therapeutic approaches into clinical trials and to develop better databases to assess the nation's burden of cognitive impairment and dementia."Today's announcement reflects this administration's commitment to confronting Alzheimer's, a disease that takes a devastating toll on millions of Americans," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We can't wait to act; reducing the burden of Alzheimer's disease on patients and their families is an urgent national priority."As many as 5.1 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer's disease, which is a progressive, irreversible brain disorder that destroys memory and thinking skills. With the aging of the U.S. population, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease could more than double by 2050.In January 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the National Alzheimer's Project Act, which calls for an aggressive and coordinated national Alzheimer's disease plan. The Act also establishes an Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services, which brings together some of the Nation's foremost experts on Alzheimer's disease to inform the development of the national plan. The preliminary framework for the National Alzheimer's Disease Plan identifies key goals including preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025. As work on the plan continues, the Obama Administration is taking action.