Spoke with Dr. Randy Blakely, Exec Dir FAU Stiles Nicholson Brain Institute and Sir John Hardy, Ph.D., University College London. Professor Hardy is a leading geneticist for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research. He's one of the guest lecturers participating in FAU's free Brainy Days series. His study has identified the gene in families called the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which led to his theory, the amyloid cascade hypothesis. “The next job that we have to do in Alzheimer’s disease is to get better at predicting the disease earlier. Identifying the people that are going to develop dementia, or detecting the diseases that cause it at their earliest stages will make a huge difference. It will help ensure that future treatments will be more effective. It’s going to be tough to do it, but that’s one of the next challenges." FAU offers a variety of free community events and educational programs.
Brainy Days is sponsored by Palm Health Foundation. For more information about Brainy Days, visit www.fau.edu/brain/brainydays or email BI-outreach@fau.edu.
