Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje recently visited BioClinicum at Karolinska Institutet to learn more about the current status of Alzheimer's research. "We're getting closer to being able to devise an effective treatment," says Bengt Winblad, professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, who hosted the visit.
Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje visited BioClinicum at KI at the initiative of the Swedish Alzheimer's Foundation (Alzheimerfonden).
During their visit, the ministers were shown the multifaceted research being conducted at KI, including basic laboratory research, clinical research and applicable medicine.
Bengt Winblad, professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society and the host of the visit underscored how important close collaboration among university, clinic and pharmaceutical industry is to the development of new treatment strategies for dementia diseases.
"Basic research is the foundation on which new drugs are produced," he says.
Experts on therapeutic alternatives
After an introduction on Alzheimer's disease, the programme included a discussion on therapeutic alternatives and diagnostics with KI experts like Maria Eriksdotter, professor of geriatrics; Eric Westman, professor and head of the Division of Clinical Geriatrics; and Helena Karlström, docent and head of the Division of Neurogeriatrics.
Anders Wimo, professor emeritus of health economics at KI, brought to the table the patient perspective and the possible cost of the treatments, while representatives of the Alzheimer's Foundation and research donors from KI raised different aspects of dementia care.
The ministers also were given a taste of the future of dementia care, especially in light of the potential new Alzheimer's drugs.
Important conversation on a serious disease
Professor Winblad points out that the visit was an important opportunity to present scientific advances in the field of brain disorders and the valuable impact they can have on future patients and their relatives.
"It's been very rewarding and we appreciate the ministers' interest in the latest research on diseases of the brain, especially Alzheimer's," he says. "We had a fruitful discussion about one of our most serious diseases, for which efficacious treatments are coming ever closer, thanks to all the research being done."
