Foundation Funds New Alzheimer's Research Study
Dr. Daniel Murman, Behavioral and Geriatric Neurologist at UNMC
FREMONT, NE – The Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Fund, administered by the Fremont Area Community Foundation, has awarded its fifth grant to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to fund cutting-edge research on Alzheimer’s disease.
A $10,000 grant will support a pilot study to explore the correlation between certain vascular conditions and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
“A large body of recent evidence suggests a strong link between Alzheimer’s disease and vascular disorders and vascular risk factors,” states the UNMC grant request. “However the exact relationship between these factors and AD remains poorly understood. Better understanding how vascular factors relate to AD may enhance insight into this disease and pave the way for novel diagnostic research.”
Dr. Daniel Murman, Behavioral and Geriatric Neurologist and a professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at UNMC, and Dr. Greg Bashford, a professor and Biomedical Engineer in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will oversee the pilot project.
Current state-of-the-art diagnostic measures of AD are invasive, expensive and time-consuming and thus have limited accessibility as frontline screening and diagnostic tools for AD, according to the grant request.
This project “has the potential to help clinicians and scientists screen for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease pathology…and/or silent cerebrovascular disease in a non-invasive and inexpensive way,” says Dr. Murman.
The Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Fund (FAAF) has provided nearly $100,000 in Alzheimer’s research funding to UNMC, and over $150,000 for Alzheimer’s research altogether. The balance of funds raised is used for local programming for caregivers. Considerable support for these efforts comes through the annual Fremont Area Memory Walk, this year scheduled at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 8th at the Midland Event Center.
“Thanks to the generous support we receive from friends throughout the Fremont area, our local Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Collaboration has made tremendous progress in caregiver education and Alzheimer’s research through pilot studies like this one,” said Marv Welstead, honorary chair of the Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Collaboration and Alzheimer’s disease activist.
“Approximately 37,000 Nebraskans currently suffer from this disease, and it is projected that 1 out of 8 Baby Boomers will get Alzheimer’s by 2025,” said Welstead. “With continued support we hope to see continued success and participation, and look forward to the day this research finds promising answers.”
Established in 2012, the Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Fund supports caregiver education and Alzheimer’s disease research. Since it is a component fund of the Fremont Area Community Foundation, all donations are tax deductible. For more information about the Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Fund, call Melissa Diers, Executive Director of the Foundation, at (402) 721-4252. For more information about the Memory Walk, call Kim Henrichs-Suey at (402) 753-2078 or Riley Faulkner at 402-721-1616.
Founded in 1980 with a single estate gift, the Fremont Area Community Foundation connects donors, nonprofits and community leaders with the needs of the community, creating positive local impact. Over the life of the Foundation so far, more than $16 million has been distributed throughout Fremont and the greater Dodge County area in the form of scholarships and grants in five areas of interest including arts and culture, civic improvement, education, health and recreation, and social services. For more information about the Fremont Area Community Foundation, call 402-721-4252 or visit www.facfoundation.org.
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