Senator Collins Discusses the Fight to End Alzheimer’s at Panel Discussion in Bangor
Click HERE for a high-resolution photo of Luann Ballesteros, Dr. Edison Liu, Senator Collins, Dr. Gareth Howell, Bob O’Keefe, and Laurie Trenholm
Bangor, ME – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s and the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, attended a luncheon and participated in a panel discussion about the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease. This event was hosted by The Jackson Laboratory and the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter.
Dr. Edison Liu, president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, moderated the discussion between Senator Collins and members of the Maine community who are leading the charge in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Other panel members included Dr. Gareth Howell, a JAX Associate Professor; Laurie Trenholm, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association of Maine; and Bob O’Keefe, an Alzheimer’s patient.
“Alzheimer’s disease is one of the greatest public health threats of our time. Approximately 5.5 million Americans are living with this devastating disease, and that number continues to soar as our overall population grows older and lives longer,” said Senator Collins. “Despite being one of the leading causes of death in America, Alzheimer’s disease is the only one of our nation’s deadliest diseases without an effective means of prevention, treatment, or cure. It was inspiring to join with The Jackson Laboratory and the Maine Alzheimer’s Association this afternoon to discuss our shared priority of increasing funding for cutting-edge research that will one day help us solve the mystery of Alzheimer’s, and our efforts to ensure both patients and their caregivers receive the support they need.”
“We are committed to helping stop Alzheimer’s before it starts. Collaborating with Senator Collins, the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter, and those impacted by the disease is very important to achieving that goal,” said Edison T. Liu, M.D., president and CEO, The Jackson Laboratory. “JAX scientists are harnessing powerful genomic technologies to uncover the complex causes of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a bold approach, aiming to identify people at risk for memory loss and the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s years before symptoms emerge. We are studying the genetic factors that are protecting brains from Alzheimer’s and will turn that knowledge into new therapeutics. At JAX we have a lot of hope for the future, and we’re so grateful for the support of Senator Collins and the Alzheimer’s community.”
“My dream is to first and foremost to find a cure, ”said Laurie Trenholm, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter. “And along the way if we could identify people that have high risk factors, we could address those so that we stop the pipeline of people that are going to have to deal with this disease.”
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 5.5 million Americans, including 27,000 in the State of Maine. It is also the leading cause of dementia among people age 65 and older and ranks among the top six causes of death in the United States.
In 2011, Senator Collins authored the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), with then-Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). NAPA convened a panel of experts, who determined that $2 billion per year in research funding is needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by the year 2025. Following Senator Collins’ strong advocacy, the proposed Senate funding bill for FY18 includes $1.8 billion—an increase of $414 million—for Alzheimer’s research, which would bring us within reach of the $2 billion goal. The funding Senator Collins has secured is being used by researchers across the country, including by Dr. Howell at Jackson Lab.
Last November, Senator Collins introduced the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, bipartisan legislation that would create a public health infrastructure to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health. The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act is supported by the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, and the National Association of Counties.
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, a facility in Sacramento, Calif., and a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn. It employs 2,000 staff, and its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Its mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Their vision is a world without Alzheimer’s.
