LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Clinic wants people to participate in one of their dozens of trial clinics for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Gregory Jicha, Associate Director with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, spoke to a crowd of 70 people about the topic Wednesday afternoon at the Sayre Christian Village.
“We need everybody. We need volunteers. We need participants. We need the community to understand the things that we’re doing,” said Dr. Jicha.
The National Institute on Aging has set 2025 as the goal for effectively treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Jicha said to an audience he’s hopeful the U.S. will meet the goal.
“If we can put a man on the moon, we can cure Alzheimer’s.”
The U.S. Senate approved a $350 million increase in the 2020 fiscal budget for the National Institute of Health. The budget increase raises the total allocation for Alzheimer’s and dementia research to $2.8 billion.
While a cure is in the works, Dr. Jicha pointed to studies as a guide for people looking to reduce their chances of developing the disease. He explained lower blood pressure and 30 minutes of daily reading and physical activity are associated with improved brain health.
Even with these results, Dr. Jicha pushed for people’s participation in other studies.
“If there’s any stone that’s left unturned, we’re going to look under it for a new way to treat the disease.”
For more information on how to get involved in clinical trials at the University of Kentucky, you can visit this website.
https://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/patients-visitors/patients/clinical-trials
