Creating DPRIT in Texas would revolutionize dementia care. UT is ready to help
Imagine a Texas where Alzheimer's disease can be treated like diabetes. It might look like a series of preventative shots a person gets in their 40s, or a pill they take in their 60s to mitigate and control symptoms, just like one might with a host of conditions. This is the future as envisioned by University of Texas researchers like Dr. Marc Diamond at UT Southwestern, whose work is dedicated to ending what he calls the 'neurological nightmare' of dementia.
Thanks to a new effort at the Texas Capitol, we may be closer to ending this nightmare than ever before.
Senate Bill 5 — sponsored by state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and designated a legislative priority by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — would give Texans the chance to vote on the creation of a $3 billion-backed Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT). The companion HB 5, authored by state Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, has 119 co-sponsors.
DPRIT could revolutionize Alzheimer's care and research in Texas. Already immersed in leading research and clinical efforts in dementia prevention, UT stands ready to do its part.
Nearly 7 million Americans over 65 are living with Alzheimer's. Here in the Lone Star State, nearly half a million Texans live with Alzheimer's, and a million more provide them with unpaid care, often at great personal cost. Nationally we spend $360 billion per year on dementia care.
The promise of DPRIT is that the discoveries, innovations and technologies it will catalyze can revolutionize the lives of those who live with Alzheimer's and those who care for them. But how do we know DPRIT can deliver? Thankfully, the concept has been tried and tested in Texas over the last decade.
In 2007, Texans voted to establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Since then, the state has invested more than $3.7 billion in cancer prevention and research. The impact has been incredible. More than 300 researchers and their labs have relocated to Texas, more than 80 facilities are supported financially, and more than $8 billion in outside funds have followed.
At the University of Texas, CPRIT funds have recruited scholars from all over the world to our campuses across the state. From imaging to immuno-oncology, new therapies are being conceived, trialed and rolled out. Whole new research and care hubs have been launched. MD Anderson — ranked No. 1 in the nation for cancer care — has seen 20 separate projects supported by CPRIT this year alone.
Because dementia prevention and care are already priorities at the UT System, DPRIT promises to deliver the same level of investment, impact and collaboration that we've seen with CPRIT. In fact, CPRIT has been so successful, voters chose in 2019 to invest another $3 billion in the initiative.
Take for example, the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, where researchers are pioneering retinal scans to detect Alzheimer's early — in the future, a trip to the eye doctor could detect dementia symptoms early. There are many other examples across UT institutions — at the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences at UT Austin's Dell Medical School — where we could turbo-charge such efforts with DPRIT's support.
On the first Tuesday of each month, a support group for caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's meets at the Dementia, Geriatric & Brain Health Clinic at the UT Education and Research Center at Laredo. When I think of the fight against dementia, I think of those caregivers.
Like CPRIT, DPRIT-funded research and care has the potential to preserve life to the fullest for millions of Texans. I'm grateful to live in a state where lawmakers are dedicated to fighting cruel diseases. Together, we're working to prevent, treat and cure cancer. Now, let's do the same to defeat dementia.
James B. Milliken is chancellor of the University of Texas System.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: DPRIT would revolutionize dementia care. UT is ready to help | Opinion
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