Scientists devastated after Trump cuts $15 million in Alzheimer's research funding
Teams of researchers have been left shocked and devastated after fresh cuts to funding threaten to impact their vital studies.
Health research into conditions including Alzheimer’s disease are now at risk of being canceled after new cuts by the US government have been announced.
The Trump administration has officially cut a whopping $15 million in funding for Alzheimer’s research, according to a report by The Guardian.
These cuts appear to have been aimed at studies being conducted that look into racism, with the move hitting two leading research institutions - Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh.
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A significant amount of this funding was due to research how discrimination has the ability to damage brain health on a long-term basis.
Vital Alzheimer’s research has been cut by the Trump administration
Speaking to The Guardian in the aftermath of the news, Andrea Rosso, who is an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and also co-led a grant that has since been canceled by the government, said: “Those things we’re measuring are scientifically valid concepts, whoever was doing this saw the words they didn’t like in our grant.”
Meanwhile, Ann Cohen, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, who has also experienced her grant being canceled, added: “This kind of clear political interference - that’s not a good way to do science. I haven’t even thought much about the why this is being done because it’s so scientifically wrong that I can’t get past that piece.”
Despite the cuts to funding, Alzheimer’s remains a significant disease, impacting over seven million Americans.
Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the condition is hallmarked by an accumulation of the protein beta-amyloid outside neurons and twisted strands of the protein tau inside neurons.
This is accompanied by the ‘death of neurons and damage to brain tissue’, as well as inflammation and atrophy of brain tissue being other changes.
Alzheimer’s is considered to be the most common type of dementia, with it accounting for around 60% to 80% of cases of diagnoses of the condition.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by the patient having difficulty remembering recent conversations, names or events, as well as experiencing apathy, confusion, poor judgment and behavioral changes.
In the late stages of the disease, the patient will likely experience difficulty walking, speaking and swallowing. Other symptoms include depression and communication issues.