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Tuesday, Nov 14 2017

Full Issue

Bill Gates Notes Family History Of Alzheimer's While Pledging $50M To Help Fight Disease

"I know how awful it is to watch people you love struggle as the disease robs them of their mental capacity, and there is nothing you can do about it," Bill Gates said. "It feels a lot like you鈥檙e experiencing a gradual death of the person that you knew."

Billionaire Bill Gates is personally investing $50 million to help fund research to find a treatment for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, a type of dementia Gates says has struck members of his own family. There is no cure for Alzheimer鈥檚, which destroys memory and other mental processes, so Gates said he is investing his own money in the Dementia Discovery Fund, a private-public partnership to search for a solution. (Bever, 11/13)

Today, the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft announced he is investing $50 million in the Dementia Discovery Fund to accelerate research and progress in tackling the disease, which affects more than five million Americans. The investment is a personal one, not part of the foundation's work. Gates spoke with Marketplace Morning Report host David Brancaccio about why he's optimistic about a breakthrough. (Brancaccio, 11/13)

It's one of the holy grails of science: a cure for Alzheimer's. Currently, there is no treatment to stop the disease, let alone slow its progression. And billionaire Bill Gates thinks he will change that. "I believe there is a solution," he told me without hesitation. "Any type of treatment would be a huge advance from where we are today," he said, but "the long-term goal has got to be cure." (Gupta, 11/14)

With rapidly rising numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer鈥檚 and other forms of dementia, the disease is taking a growing emotional and financial toll as people live longer, Gates told Reuters in an interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge problem, a growing problem, and the scale of the tragedy - even for the people who stay alive - is very high,鈥 he said. Despite decades of scientific research, there is no treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer鈥榮. Current drugs can do no more than ease some of the symptoms. (Kelland, 11/13)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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