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Alzheimer’s Workshop to Convene in Santa Fe

UNM Researchers Share Their Findings

More than 60 New Mexico Alzheimer's disease and dementia researchers will gather in Santa Fe next week to discuss current studies and explore strategies to develop an Alzheimer's research center in the state.

The second annual Workshop on Alzheimer's Research in New Mexico will be held on Wednesday, May 22, at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, 211 Old Santa Fe Trail.

The workshop is sponsored by the New Mexico Consortium, a partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), The University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

"New Mexico is in a unique position for advancement in basic science, clinical and epidemiological research of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, due to the presence of two national laboratories, as well as many institutions of higher learning," said Gnana Gnanakaran, PhD, a LANL scientist and one of the workshop organizers.

"This second annual workshop will build upon last year's accomplishments, and take us to the next level of collaborations, research and identifying gaps that we can address by working together," Gnanakaran said.

In addition to New Mexico Consortium researchers, workshop participants will include representatives from New Mexico Highlands University, the New Mexico Department on Aging and Long-Term Services, the Alzheimer's Association - New Mexico Chapter, Retreat Healthcare and Albuquerque Neuroscience, Inc.

The workshop is intended to advance collaboration among New Mexico scientists and clinicians who study Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in order to advance research and to address the goals in the New Mexico State Plan for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Workshop topics will include:

  • Infectious and Inflammatory Etiologies of Alzheimer's Disease;
  • Machine Learning & Mathematical Models for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia;
  • Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Trials;
  • Strategies for Establishing a New Mexico Alzheimer's Research Center;
  • Opportunities to Examine and Remediate Health Disparities in Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease Research.

The keynote lecture will be presented by Bruce Lamb, PhD, the Roberts Family Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research and executive director of the Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at Indiana University. Lamb will address inflammation as a central mechanism in Alzheimer's disease, as well as strategies and lessons learned for establishing a statewide Alzheimer's research center.

Michael Landen, MD, state epidemiologist with the New Mexico Department of Health, will present an update on Alzheimer's disease in New Mexico, and Janice Knoefel, MD, from UNM's Memory & Aging Center, will lead a panel discussion on health disparities in dementia and Alzheimer's research.

About the New Mexico Consortium
The New Mexico Consortium engages universities and industry in scientific research in the nation's interest and to increase the role of Los Alamos National Laboratory in science, education and economic development.

For additional information contact chief communications officer Shannan Schnedler, at 505-412-6898 or sschnedler@newmexicoconsortium.org.

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