WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- MetLife Foundation hosts a
scientific briefing on the state of Alzheimer's research, featuring
predictions from top Alzheimer's researchers. When: The event was
recorded live on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 Where: St. Regis Hotel,
Washington, D.C. How: Recorded live -- Simply log on to the web at:
http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=32099 Contact: Joe Madden
(401) 827-2015, Ted Mitchell (401) 827-3236, MetLife Foundation is
offering an audio version of the scientific briefing/question and
answer session portion of the 20th anniversary MetLife Foundation
Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Robert
Butler, professor of geriatrics and adult development at the Mount
Sinai School of Medicine, president and CEO of the International
Longevity Center and founding director of the National Institute of
Aging, moderated the discussion, which featured over 20 Alzheimer's
award winners, past and present. This "all star" gathering of
scientists studying Alzheimer's discussed the current state of
Alzheimer's research and their informed predictions for the future.
Some of the points made during the symposium: * We need to battle
Alzheimer's as we once battled polio and AIDS. * The disease will
be ubiquitous, given the aging American population, and the impact
on Americans will be devastating. * Dr. Karen Hsao Ashe said people
over 55 may prevent Alzheimer's in the future by taking some
pharmaceutical or "nutriceutical" just as we take an aspirin a day
(and statins and blood pressure meds) to prevent heart disease and
stroke today. * MetLife Chairman and CEO Robert Benmosche spoke of
"the need to make the public more aware that there's going to be a
terrible problem in the decades ahead, as more and more families
struggling to make a living face the additional strain of taking
care of parents with Alzheimer's." * Lifestyle changes were
identified as having a critical impact, with Dr. Carl Cotman
indicating that enrichment, exercise and several other things,
independent of drugs, may impact the course of brain aging and
pathology. * The need to attract young people to the Alzheimer's
field is critical. According to Dr. Robert M. D'Alessandri, fewer
American high school graduates are entering the biomedical sciences
and research fields, in part because some of the "magic" related to
the science is not known. Echoing this, Dr. Ashe said that young
people need to know that a lifetime dedicated to medical research
is a noble pursuit. Scientists attending and participating in the
briefing included: Thomas Bird, M.D., University of Washington,
Seattle, WA; Carl Cotman, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine,
CA; Peter Davies, Ph.D., Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx,
NY; Blas Frangione, M.D., Ph.D., NYU Medical Center, NY; Alison
Goate, Ph.D., University of Washington, St. Louis, MO; John Hardy,
Ph.D., National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD; Michael Hutton,
Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL; William Klunk, M.D., Ph.D.,
University of Pittsburgh, PA; Virginia M.-Y. Lee, Ph.D., University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Robert Mahley, M.D., Ph.D., The
J. David Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA; Chester Mathis,
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, PA; Mortimer Mishkin, Ph.D.,
National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD; John Morris,
M.D., Washington University, St. Louis, MO; Ronald Petersen, M.D.,
Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Donald Lowell Price, M.D., Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Allen Roses, M.D.,
GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Dennis Selkoe, M.D.,
Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Sangram Sisodia, Ph.D.,
University of Chicago, IL; Thomas Sudhof, M.D., University of
Texas, Dallas, TX; Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., Harvard University,
Boston, MA; Robert Terry, M.D., University of California, San
Diego, CA; John Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D., University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Karl Weisgraber, Ph.D., University
of California, San Francisco, CA; Ellen Wijsman, Ph.D., University
of Washington, Seattle, WA; Bruce Yankner, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard
University, Boston, MA; and Steven Younkin, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo
Clinic, Jacksonville, FL. Created in 1986, the MetLife Foundation
Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease recognizes
scientists who have made significant contributions to the
understanding of Alzheimer's disease. At the core of the program is
recognition of the importance of basic research. The unrestricted
grants are used solely at the discretion of the scientists and
provide them the freedom to pursue their ideas. About MetLife
Foundation MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to
carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and
community involvement. MetLife and MetLife Foundation have invested
more than $15 million for Alzheimer's research and public
information programs, including $10 million through the Awards for
Medical Research program. MetLife Foundation also sponsored the
Emmy-award winning PBS documentary, The Forgetting: A Portrait of
Alzheimer's. Working with the Alzheimer's Association, the
Foundation has supported caregiving videos, resources for the
Hispanic community and the Safe Return identification program,
which addresses the problem of senior wandering. The Foundation has
expanded its focus on aging issues, including helping people remain
physically and mentally fit and remaining engaged in the community.
It also supports programs addressing issues of caregiving,
intergenerational activities and volunteer opportunities. Grants
support health, education, and civic and cultural programs. More
information about the MetLife Foundation is available at
http://www.metlife.org/. Minimum Requirements to listen to
broadcast: The Windows Media Player software, downloadable free
from http://www.microsoft.com/ and at least a 56Kbps connection to
the Internet. If you experience problems listening to the webcast,
send an E-mail to: . First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: DATASOURCE:
MetLife Foundation CONTACT: Joe Madden, +1-401-827-2015, , or Ted
Mitchell, +1-401- 827-3236, , both of MetLife Foundation Web site:
http://www.metlife.org/
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