wcw3-24

eems like every day there’s
news about an Alzheimer’s
“breakthrough” or a promising
new medicine or
treatment and yet the progress
to finding a medicine or treatment that
halts or prevents or cures it is not at hand.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people
who are working hard to find solutions.
Someone who has been hard at work on
research in this field for over 30 years is
Fiona Crawford, Ph.D., President and CEO
at The Roskamp Institute. Since opening
in 2003, The Roskamp Institute, a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, has been “a leader
in the global effort to better understand
and treat diseases of the mind. The foundation
for the Institute’s work was set more
than a decade ago by its two lead researchers,
Drs. Michael Mullan and Fiona Crawford,”
according to their website.
You may not have read about the breakthrough
research that showed Alzheimers’s
being caused by “mutations at codon
717 of the β-amyloid precursor protein
gene,” but if you did, this was an important
discovery published in Nature magazine
in 1991 and authored by 11 researchers
including Dr. Crawford and Dr. Mullan.
“A codon, in biology, is the basic genetic
unit of life that acts as the template for
the amino acid synthesis required for protein
expression. Thus, the codon acts as
an essential genetic unit of life,” and yes,
I looked that up. More simply put, their
research showed that certain genetic variations
may cause or predispose humans
to Alzheimer’s disease—a huge step in understanding
the disease.
It’s painstaking work that Dr. Crawford,
a molecular geneticist and neuroscientist,
has been deeply involved in for over
three decades. Her work has appeared in
200 publications, along with over 20,000
citations in the field of research for Alzheimer’s
disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, and
related disorders.
Dr. Crawford, who was born in Belfast,
Northern Ireland, works with Dr. Mullan,
who was born in England where he earned
his medical degree. Their work took them
from England to USF where Bob Roskamp,
a well known philanthropist and developer
of senior living facilities, provided funds
to the University of South Florida to create
the Roskamp Chair in Biological Psychiatry
in March 1995.
Drs. Mullan and Crawford then went on
to co-found the Roskamp Institute with
Bob and Diane Roskamp in Sarasota in
2003 and thus began their research which
has broadened to include Traumatic Brain
Injury, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder,
Gulf War Illness and the effects of Florida
red tide and other eco-toxins. The doctors
are joined by a staff of 50 in management
and research.
Fast forward to 2023 and you may have
read about a new, FDA-approved treatment
called Leqembi. The Roskamp Institute,
Dr. Crawford explains, is in the process of
getting approval to “host an infusion clinic”
on their campus. Not so fast, if you’re
reaching for the phone. Patients need to be
carefully screened and treatment with Leqembi
“should be initiated in patients with
mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia
stage of disease,” according to the FDA.
“Screening is important,” Dr. Crawford
notes and adds, “few will be eligible and
you [the patient] have to be very early in
the diagnosis.” The estimated start of
their infusion clinic is April or May (www.
roskampclinic.org). The drug, she adds,
doesn’t cure or halt the advance of the
disease, “but it does give you a few better
months,” and that can mean a lot to families,
caregivers and of course, patients.
Alzheimer’s is not unique to any geographic
area or group of people. “Alzheimer’s
is everywhere,” she explains, and
adds, “Age is the biggest risk factor.” That
can be discouraging to read, but Dr. Crawford,
who exudes calm as well as enthusiasm
even after decades doing research,
offers powerful advice. “The good news is
what you can do” for your health such as
carefully monitoring vascular diseases like
high blood pressure and diabetes.
To that she adds, manage your weight,
stay mentally active, eat a healthy diet
and make sure you have social interaction
whether they be friends or family or both.
Oh, and be sure to also get a good night’s
sleep. Dr. Crawford is a certified yoga instructor
and leads a group at the Institute.
That no doubt helps to keep her centered,
but when asked about stress on the job she
says “Yah, stressful,” but adds with a smile
“it’s exciting. It’s my life.” What would reduce
her stress and make her work easier
would be to have to write less grants (she
is working on 24 applications at present).
They’re also time-consuming and take
time away from research—something she’s
much rather be doing.
The Institute is a nonprofit and thus
depends on funding from the likes of
the National Institute of Health, the U.S.
Department of Defense and the Veterans
Administration to name a few. They get no
money from the state and grants only go so
far. Just one confocal microscope for example,
costs $250-$300,000 each, but would
greatly help by producing high-contrast,
high-resolution, and three-dimensional
images of samples.
“How do I move forward with what I find
in the lab today?” she asks rhetorically and
seems to answer her own question by stating
that “Philanthropic support is critical.”
We can talk about credentials - she has
lots. We can talk about the extensive and
dogged research going on at Roskamp Institute.
We can also talk about the variety
of disorders beyond Alzheimer’s that they
are working on, but no doubt the burning
question is inevitable: when will we have
a cure or when will we be able to prevent
Alzheimer’s?
If you’re concerned about Alzheimer’s
or any of the other disorders that The
Roskamp Institute is researching, consider
supporting their work.
STORY:
IMAGE:
Louise Bruderle
Evelyn England
For more information or to make a
donation call 941-256-8019.
If you would like an assessment, their
Roskamp Neurology Clinic can be
reached at 941-256-8019 or visit
www.roskampclinic.org/contact-us/
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