In its first meeting last Monday at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, attended by U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) and state Assemblyman Charles Lavine, the newly-formed Long Island Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium discussed how to improve the lives of their patients while detailing a new $1 billion bond that will be used for the disease’s research.
The 10-year bond, allocated from taxpayers’ state taxes, is meant to breathe life into research for Alzheimer’s disease, which receives only $400 million each year in federal funding, compared to $6 billion for cancer research, North Shore-LIJ Health System officials said.
“Currently, there is no effective treatment for those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. To find a treatment that works takes research, and that takes financial support,” said Alzheimer’s researcher Peter Davies, of the Feinstein Institute’s Litwin-Zucker Center, in a statement. “In this current climate, my fellow researchers and I do not have the necessary financial support. Representative Israel and Assemblyman Lavine, along with the Long Island Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium, are working to develop an environment that fosters the discovery of treatments that make a difference.”
The consortium was conceived by Israel and organized by Davies. Israel, Lavine and the consortium’s members have been collaborating on the bond.
According to health system officials, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is expected to nearly triple by 2050, around the same time total payments for health care, long-term care and hospice treatment for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is expected to increase to $1.2 trillion.
Also in attendance at the meeting on behalf of the consortium was Dr. Lisa Miller from Brookhaven National Laboratory, Dr. Josh Dubnau from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Dr. Terry Goldberg, Dr. Marc Gordon, Dr. Jeremy Koppel and Dr. Philippe Marambaud from the Feinstein Institute; Dr. Helene Benveniste, Dr. Dmitry Goldgaber, Dr. William Van Nostrand and Dr. Steven Smith from Stony Brook University; Dr. Richard Rubenstein and Dr. Howard Crystal from SUNY Downstate Medical Center; and Dr. Tom Jeitner from Winthrop-University Hospital.
