Shiley-Marcos ADRC in the News

2025

• Could NIH Funding Cuts Delay the Next Alzheimer's Breakthrough?  After joining Rep. Scott Peters at the president's joint address to Congress in Washington, D.C., last week, Dr. Jim Brewer, chair of the Department of Neurosciences, is raising concerns about proposed NIH funding cuts. In this Q&A, he explains why sustained federal investment is essential in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other complex diseases. 
• Dr. Jim Brewer, chair of the Department of Neurosciences, and Director of the SMADRwas the invited guest of Rep. Scott Peters at this week’s State of the Union Address. He spent the day in Washington, D.C. discussing the impact of proposed National Institutes for Health (NIH) cuts to UC San Diego and his area of expertise, Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Rep. Peters Video Message
  • ABC 10 Interview

2024

• Dr. Fred (Rusty) Gage, SMADRC iPSC Core Co-Leader wins 2 prestigious awards for his work relevant to research on aging and using iPSc -related methods.
  • J Allyn Taylor prize awarded in November 2024 
  • Yamanaka award awarded Dec 3, 2024 in San Francisco
• Dr. Paula Desplats was interviewed on the Southern Caregiver Resource Center PodCast about Alzheimer's Research Updates.  click here to listen.
• Dr. Leger and SMADRC participants were featured in NBC story about Alzheimer's.  Click here to watch the segment.
• Dr. Zvinka Zlatar was interviewed for an story titled, 'The 6 Easiest, Most Effective Exercise Habits Longevity Experts Swear by for a Longer Life'.  Click here.
• Why is Alzheimer’s worse in women than men? UC San Diego researchers receive $5.2 million grant to find answers.  CBS8, Marcella Lee interviews Drs. Sundermann and Banks about the WITS study.
• Darlene Shiley is awarded the Lifetime Legacy Award for being a visionary leader whose philanthropy has transformed lives here in San Diego and across the country. Shiley’s wide-ranging philanthropic interests are the result of a fierce passion for helping others — a passion she shared with her late husband, Donald. This has led to a truly remarkable legacy of impact at UC San Diego. Read more here.

2023

• New Study Explores Why Alzheimer's is Worse for Women.  Drs. Sundermann and Banks have a five-year project that will measure brain inflammation and circulating sex hormones in women at risk for Alzheimer’s and relate these measures to changes in cognitive function and accumulation of protein deposits in the brain.
• Realizan estudio del cerebro con Hispanos para combatir el Alzheimer
• Intermittent Fasting Improves Alzheimer’s Pathology.  Dr. Paula Desplats' research featured in this UCSD press release. 
• Stem Cell Therapy Rescues Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease. 
• Air Pollution May Increase Risk of Dementia, Complicated by Genetics
• More Steps Moderate Physical Activity Cuts Dementia Cognitive Impairment Risk. Dr. Andrea LaCroix featured in this UCSD press release.
• Looking for an Early Sign of LATE featuring Dr. Robert Rissman's research.
• Don Cleveland Wins a Trifecta of Recognition. The much-acclaimed researcher, who investigates how cells work and why they sometimes don’t, is the recipient of three highly regarded prizes honoring a distinguished career that isn’t over yet

2022

• Can a Hobby Keep Dementia at Bay?  Experts Weigh In.  UCSD's Dr. Pa featured in this Washington Post article.
• Emotional graduation event! From Latina promoters who share research on Alzheimer's at UCSD
• The Latino community in the US is seriously at risk of suffering the greatest increase in Alzheimer's and Dementias featuring Dr. Zvinka Zlatar and the work of our SMADRC promotora partners.
• How our Brains Cope with Speaking More Than One Language featuring Dr. Tamar Gollan's research on bilingualism.
• Congratulations to Dr. Gonzalez, the SMADRC Latino Core Co-Director, and the SOL-INCA team.
• Two Sides of Alzheimer's featuring UC San Diego researchers working towards a cure for Alzheimer's.
• Study of Promising Alzheimer’s Marker in Blood Prompts Warning About Brain-Boosting Supplements
• Virtual Memories at the Museum Program highlighted in Del Mar Times artice, 'Memories at the Museum is a Refreshing Tour for the Mind'. 
• Daily physical activity boosts cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults featuring Dr. Moore and Dr. Zlatar's research.
• With a $50 Million Gift, USC and UC San Diego Join Forces in Alzheimer’s Research.  A transformative donation from the Epstein Family Foundation will accelerate Alzheimer’s research at the two universities in a push to find better treatments and a cure
• Bilingualism Is Good for Your Mental Health featuring Dr. Gollan's bilingualism research.  

2021

• Blood tests could help screen anticipated flood of patients seeking new Alzheimer's drug
• Controversial drug approval spotlights emerging tests for Alzheimer’s-related proteins
• Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos
• On June 7, 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted conditional approval to aducanumab, a medication designed to remove amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. More about the approval.
• Virtual Caregiving: The Struggle to Find Support.
• UC San Diego Seeks Patients to Help Test New Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. UT story about a Phase 1 clinical trial that involves a type of gene therapy that will be used for the first time in humans.
• San Diegans Find Hope in FDA Approved Drug For Alzheimer's, Despite Controversy - NBC 7 San Diego (nbcsandiego.com)
• Virtual Caregiving; The Struggle to Find Support. KJZZ story about virtual support during the pandemic with SMADRC social workers and programs highlighted.
• UC San Diego Seeks Patients to Help Test New Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. UT story about a Phase 1 clinical trial that involves a type of gene therapy that will be used for the first time in humans.
• Novel Drug Prevents Amyloid Plaques, a Hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease
• In animal models, the new compound modulated a key enzyme, reducing or eliminating production of problematic protein fragments; human clinical trials needed

​2020

• Hearing Loss and High Blood Sugar Linked to Poorer Learning and Memory Among Older Latinos. Medical Press story December 2020. Describing the findings from Ariana Stickel, PhD and colleagues working using SOLINCA data.
• Bilingualism is Good Medicine for the Brain. CNN story based on interview with Dr. Gollan about the the value of learning additional languages. Read the story in Spanish.
• Poor Cognitive Performance Predicts Impairment in Activities of Daily Living Years Later. In study of older Latino caregivers, poorer performance in single cognitive testing was associated with impairments in daily activities seven years later
• Common Class of Drugs Linked to Increased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease; Anticholinergic medications are used for many conditions but might also accelerate cognitive decline, especially in older persons with biological or genetic risk factors
• Dementia-friendly tours trigger memories in museum goers with Alzeimer's - The San Diego Union Tribune. Inspired by "Meet Me at the Museum" in New York City, the program trains museum docents on what it's like to live with dementia and how to modify tours for those with short-term memory loss.
• A Harder Look at Alzheimer's Causes and Treatments Scientific American, May 2020. Features Dr. Howard Feldman, MD. The entire Scientific American Special Report can be found here.
• Blood Biomarkers in Blood Helps Detect Alzheimer's Early: Article in MedIndia featuring research by Dr. Edward Koo.
• Op-Ed commentary written by Hector Gonzalez, PhD, was published in print and online in the Los Angeles Times. The Op-Ed covers recent findings in Alzheimer's/Latino research, while also calling for more precise research among varied Latino ancestries in California. En Espanol.
• Musical Biographies, one of the Shiley-Marcos ADRC Quality of Life Programs offered in collaboration with Villa Musica, was featured in the UT. Read the story about this innovative and free program to the community. If you are interested in registering for the next session in May, contact Tracey Truscott, LCSW.
• Dr. Brewer was interviewed on KUSI channel 8 about the Eye as a Window to the Brain. "Eye Exam Could Detect Signs of Early Alzheimer's Disease." Watch the segment.
• The Union Tribune Featured the Shiley-Marcos ADRC Free Memory Screening Services in 2020 in this article about the importance of early detection and regular monitoring of brain health.

2019

• Dr. Leger was interviewed on KUSI channel 8 again about the T2 intervention trial for Alzheimer's disease.
• The T2 study is making headlines again in the most recent article published by Forbes.com. Read more about how UCSD ADRC is one of the enrolling sites for this new clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease.
• Dr. Feldman was interviewed by KPBS about a currently enrolling disease modifying trial for Alzheimer's disease, the T2 Protect trial.
• Dr. Gabriel Leger was interviewed on KUSI channel 8 about the T2 Intervention trial for Alzheimer's disease.
• Untangling Tau: Researchers Find a "Druggable Target" for Treating Alzheimer's Disease.
• In Life and Death, Alzheimer's Disease Looks Different Among Hispanics Patients: Autopsy study of Hispanics with neurological condition suggests greater difficulty diagnosing living Hispanics with disease
• The Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center will offer the first Memory Screening Day event of 2019 on February 12th, 2019. The UT published an article highlighting the importance of monitoring your memory and quoted SMADRC physicians and researchers