Penn Scientists Featured in HBO's "The Alzheimer's Project"

We spend more time talking with our families about the health threats that won’t affect us than acting on the ones that do. It is easier to hypothesize over swine flu than it is to discuss hereditary diseases—isn't it? Most of us don't want to talk about our loved ones getting sick because we fear losing them, we fear taking care of them, and we fear our own mortality. HBO's The Alzheimer's Project, a four-part documentary airing this week, challenges this thought pattern.

The series balances the stories of patients and their families with interviews given by over 25 doctors and researchers across the country. These conversations, featuring three scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, offer mini-lessons on genetics, the evolution of Alzheimer's research, and recent advancements in brain imaging that allow us to better understand the biology behind the disease. Although there is no cure, research developed over the past 25 years has allowed scientists to formulate cognitive and clinical therapies that delay the onset and progression of dementia.

Last week, we saw a premiere of the second episode in the series, "Momentum in Science" at Penn. Not only was it one of the most fascinating science lessons we ever sat through, but it also allowed us to better understand the reach of Alzheimer's. Right now, the disease affects 54% of Americans in some way. Five million people (one in eight over 65 and half a million under 65) are diagnosed, and ten million are acting as caregivers. These numbers will likely double as Baby Boomers reach their seventies. These numbers cannot be ignored.

Dr. John Trojanowski, Dr. Virginia M.-Y. Lee, and Dr. Gerard Schellenberg, professors of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn's School of Medicine, are featured in the films. Schellenberg, a geneticist who came to Penn from the University of Washington six months ago, is focused on finding the gene that causes Alzheimer's. Trojanowski and Lee have been at Penn for over 20 years. Seventeen years ago, they and a team of scientists discovered how the overabundance of certain proteins in nerve cells contributes to Alzheimer's disease. Trojanowski appreciates how the documentary shows "the human side" of Alzheimer's. "The stars of the film are the patients." He hopes that The Alzheimer's Project will motivate viewers to form a grassroots campaign that will push for government funding of clinical trials so that therapies can be more successful. "There is reason to be hopeful," he told us. "We can't stop. We have to double, triple, quadruple our efforts."

By clearly delineating the stages of Alzheimer's, the documentary encourages people to address their fear towards the disease and to approach those affected with compassion, not apprehension. The Alzheimer's Project also pays special attention to caregivers, confronting the lonely and frustrating places where many of us may find ourselves one day. But above all, it asks us to look through our family histories and into our own futures, educating ourselves on what we find, and talking about what we will do.

The Alzheimer's Project airs on HBO this week. It is also available to non-subscribers on HBO.com.

Image Credit: Flickr User LoreleiRanveig