The Sarasota, Florida based Roskamp Institute is on
the verge of making new discoveries about Alzheimer’s Disease which means that
the medical world will have more tools in its armory against this dreaded
disease. As of now, there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s, and a diagnosis of
this disease is very often, and accurately, considered to be a death sentence.
More than 5.5 million Americans are believed to be battling this disease and
the numbers are only set to increase dramatically as the Baby Boomer generation
steps into old age, albeit unwillingly.
There are believed to be multiple causes for
Alzheimer’s Disease, but old age is most certainly an important factor and it
therefore cannot be ignored. As a matter of fact, this will create a whole new
set of problems for the Baby Boomer generation, with many of them being
diagnosed with the disease and many more having to bear the burden of dealing
with the patients who are likely to linger on for a very long time. The cost of
dealing with this disease cannot just be measured in financial terms only.
There is an immense emotional cost as well and most people are simply not
prepared to deal with this. The expected increase in the numbers of people
suffering from Alzheimer’s will also put a great deal of pressure on healthcare
infrastructure
.
Dr. Michael Mullan is at the head of a team of
medical researchers at the world renowned Roskamp Institute in Sarasota,
of which he is the Chief Executive Officer, and he has already made a name for
himself in the field of neurological studies. In fact, he was a very important
part of the team that discovered the role played by the beta-amyloid
protein in the onset of this disease. While this discovery has not yet resulted
in a cure for this disease, it at least helped doctors provide better care to
patients and perhaps even delay the onset of the disease. In any case, every
new discovery, long overdue as it is, is a step forward in getting the better
of this disease.
The
Roskamp Institute is a not for profit research organization dedicated to the
study of various neurological and psychological diseases. It attracts highly
qualified researchers and doctors from all over the world thanks to the path
breaking work that it does in this field. Dr. Michael Mullan himself has
exemplary qualifications that help him give excellent leadership and direction
to the institute. Trained as a doctor in London, he went on to get a PhD in
Molecular Genetics as well as a degree in Psychiatry. It’ll definitely be
interesting to see where the institute goes with its various research projects
into the secrets of the brain.