Beeson Scholars Featured for New Alzheimer's Research

AFAR is proud to support the work of Randall Bateman, MD, and David Holtzman, MD, through the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program. In a December 14th New York Times feature, Drs. Bateman and Holtzman are highlighted as part of promising new research on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The buildup of beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain has long been associated with AD, but Dr. Bateman wanted to explore the specific mechanics of these amyloids accumulating and clearing. For his 2007 Beeson project, Dr. Bateman compared Aβ metabolism in 30 healthy young adults with…

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Grantees Nir Barzilai and Tom Perls Featured in Centenarian Stories

An October feature on centenarians in the New York Times featured grantee Nir Barzilai, MD, and the findings of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, headed by Beeson Scholar Thomas Perls, MD, PhD. The piece profiled eight individuals on their healthy living and experiences as Americans over 100. Drs. Barzilai and Perls have both been featured for their work on the genetics and study of longevity. Dr. Barzilai received a 1994 AFAR Research Grant and a 1997 Beeson Award, Dr. Perls is a 1998 Beeson Scholar.

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Alzheimer's Series in the New York Times: Making Strides to Predict Alzheimer's

A recent series of articles in the New York Times highlighted promising studies in Alzheimer's disease research. As scientists move forward in developing ways to predict patterns in Alzheimer's patients, this kind of research becomes increasingly important for testing and treatment. In response to an excellent editorial by the Times staff, AFAR wrote a letter to the editor, encouraging further support of aging research. Read the original text here.

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New York Times Features Beeson Scholar Reisa Sperling

Reisa Sperling, MD, was featured for her work on Alzheimer's disease plaque detection in a July 12 New York Times article, “New Scan May Spot Alzheimer’s." Dr. Sperling is part of an exciting new path of research examining a new scanning technique by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals. Currently, the only definitive way a doctor can diagnose Alzheimer’s is to find plaque in the patient’s brain during autopsy. The possibility of being able to conclusively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before death is very exciting given that it can be misdiagnosed up to 20% of the time.…

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Grantees Research Brain Blood Flow and Falls

Drs. Farzaneh Sorond and Joe Verghese were featured in a May 17th article in the Los Angeles Times about the relationship between aging vessels and blood flow to the brain that cause problems such as falling. As humans age, their propensity to make mistakes like falling and suffering related injuries rises significantly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than one third of adults over the age of 65 suffer falls each year. Scientists believe that the risk of falls is increased up to 70% by the stiffening of blood vessels caused by old age. One important function of…

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