WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will host Dr. Richard J. Hodes, National Institute on Aging (NIA) Director, in Kansas City on Monday, February 15, for an opportunity to learn more about promising medical research occurring in Kansas. Sen. Moran and Dr. Hodes will tour Kansas laboratories focused on aging research, including the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center (ADC), and receive an overview of the NIA-supported Alzheimer’s research taking place at KU ADC. Dr. Hodes and Sen. Moran will also speak at a forum on the State of Alzheimer’s Disease Research with KU faculty, students, researchers and Alzheimer’s advocates.

“As the baby boomer generation ages, Alzheimer’s has unfortunately become a disease to define a generation – but it doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of the aging process,” Sen. Moran said. “I am honored that Dr. Hodes accepted my invitation to see firsthand how Kansas has become a leader in advancing medical research to combat devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s. The research being done at NIA and clinical research institutions throughout the country, including in our state, offers hope to the 51,000 people living with Alzheimer’s in Kansas and their more than 150,000 caregivers. By prioritization of our biomedical research capabilities, Alzheimer’s may one day become a preventable, treatable and curable disease.”

NIA is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is the United States’ primary agency for aging research. A leading immunologist, Dr. Hodes was named NIA Director in 1993 and spearheads the federal research effort to find effective ways to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. He also oversees studies of the biological, clinical, behavioral and social aspects of aging. 

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Health Subcommittee that funds NIH, Sen. Moran is committed to prioritizing funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research to extend quality of life for patients and significantly reduce the cost of caring for them in years to come. Serving as ranking member of the subcommittee in 2013 and 2014, Sen. Moran led the charge to secure an increase of $100 million in the fiscal year 2014 budget for Alzheimer’s research – the largest increase in Alzheimer’s research funding to date. Sen. Moran also worked with his colleagues on the subcommittee to include an additional $350 million for Alzheimer’s disease research in fiscal year 2016. He has received the Alzheimer’s Association Humanitarian Award for his contributions to advancements in research and enhanced care and support for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Alzheimer’s Association 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures, more than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is poised to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. In addition to the human toll of the disease, care for Alzheimer’s, the country’s most expensive condition, cost the nation $226 billion in 2015 with projections to reach $1.1 trillion by 2050. Nearly one in five dollars spent by Medicare is on someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

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