Creating a transatlantic research enterprise for preventing Alzheimer's disease.

In recognition of the global problem posed by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, an international think-tank meeting was convened by Biocat, the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, and the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in February 2009. The meeting initiated the planning of a European Union-North American collaborative research enterprise to expedite the delay and ultimate prevention of dementing disorders. The key aim is to build parallel and complementary research infrastructure that will support international standardization and inter-operability among researchers in both continents.

A roadmap for the prevention of dementia II: Leon Thal Symposium 2008.

This document proposes an array of recommendations for a National Plan of Action to accelerate the discovery and development of therapies to delay or prevent the onset of disabling symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. A number of key scientific and public-policy needs identified in this document will be incorporated by the Alzheimer Study Group into a broader National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan, which will be presented to the 111th Congress and the Obama administration in March 2009. The Alzheimer's Strategic Plan is expected to include additional recommendations for governance, family support, healthcare, and delivery of social services.

A chapter in the development of Alzheimer's disease research: a case study of public policies on the development and funding of research programs.

Although Alzheimer's disease, as a clinical-neuropathologic entity, was described 100 years ago by Alois Alzheimer, the preponderance of knowledge about the disease has accumulated since the 1970s. The dramatic advances in research during the last three decades propelled the disease from near obscurity to the forefront of modern biomedical science. The remarkable transformation of this field of study is reflected by the exponential increase in the number of investigators, publications, and funded projects.