Texas is already a national leader in medicine, from Texas Children's Hospital, to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, to Baylor College of Medicine, to UT Health. Now, the state is looking to lead on another important medical front: the fight against Dementia and Alzheimer's disease. With state lawmakers already filing bills ahead of the new legislative session that starts in January, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced the Texas Senate will prioritize the creation of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT). The initiative will fund research and treatment advances over the next decade, with the goal of possibly finding a cure.
The DPRIT will be patterned after the Cancer Research Prevention Institute of Texas (CPRIT), created in 2007 and proven highly successful over the past decade. Similar to the CPRIT, the DPRIT will have to be approved by voters if it passes the legislature. The plan is encouraging to Alzheimer's advocates who are happy the issue is getting more attention. "With the current advancements, I don't think there has been a better time to think about effective treatments (for Alzheimer's) and ultimately a cure," says Richard Elbein, CEO of the Houston Alzheimer's Association. "So it's a good time to be investing in research, and to believe it's going to be a relatively short period of time to see a direct benefit."
Prevention is a great cause, but Elbein's organization also deals with those who are dealing with the effects of Alzheimers or Dementia right now. "While we're pleased to hear the state wanting to send more money into the area of research, we also think Texans being affected by Alzheimer's currently need more care and support services, and we hope that those dollars will also be allocated," he tells KTRH.
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