July 1, 1997
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDED
SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois Department of Public Health has awarded six grants, totaling $103,000, for Alzheimer's disease research, Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, today announced.
Funding for the grants is from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund, a special fund to which taxpayers can contribute through their IL-1040 income tax returns. Since 1986, when the fund first appeared on the tax forms, nearly $1.5 million has been donated to support 80 research projects.
"Alzheimer's disease exacts a devastating toll on many levels — physical, emotional, social and financial — from the persons who suffer from it and from the afflicted person's family and friends," Dr. Lumpkin said. "Illinois taxpayers have repeatedly shown their great generosity by helping to fund the critical research that is needed to find the causes and most effective treatments for this disease."
Victims of this age-related form of dementia suffer a progressive loss of memory, attention span and the ability to learn. The disease affects nearly 4 million Americans, about 200,000 in Illinois. These numbers are expected to increase dramatically during the next 25 years, however, as the country's population ages.
Grant requests were reviewed by the Department in consultation with the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Act Advisory Committee and Peer Review Panel. Members of the advisory committee include professionals who work with people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers, victims' family members and representatives of the general public.
The six grant recipients this year are —
Jingru Hu, Northwestern University, "Amyloid B and glial neurotransmitter signaling," $27,000
David Bryan Jacobs, Chicago Medical School, "Effect of Alzheimer's disease on the post-transcriptional regulation of glucose transporter (GLUT1) gene expression," $20,000
John M. Lee, Loyola University, "Effect of glycosamingycans on B-amyloid neurotoxicty," $15,000
Britton Prabagan Nathan, Eastern Illinois University, "In vivo and in vitro effects of apolipoprotein E on axonal extension and synaptogenesis in the central nervous system," $13,500
Sharon Milliken Roberts, Lake County Health Department, "Observed interactions of residents with dementia and nursing assistants during bathing," $7,500
Craig Weiss, Northwestern University, "Spatial and temporal learning in the mouse: a model for age-related learning and memory impairments," $20,000
Illinois' voluntary income tax funds must raise a minimum of $100,000 by October 1 each year to remain on the IL-1040 forms. As of mid June, Illinois taxpayer donations to the Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund had exceeded this amount. Therefore, the fund will appear on the 1997 tax forms for the 12th consecutive year.
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Illinois Department
of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217-782-4977 Fax 217-782-3987 TTY 800-547-0466 Questions or Comments |