Las Vegas Medical Center Azheimer's Study
The Lou Ruvo Las Vegas Medical Center, part of the Cleveland Clinic, will participate in a multi-center Alzheimer's Study.
The study will be to advance early detection and treatment for Alzheimer's. Dr. Kate Zhong, the senior director of clinical research and development at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, will direct a clinical trial aimed at finding an inexpensive blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease.
The Las Vegas Review Journal revealed:
The first multi-site clinical trial in the United States aimed at trying to identify Alzheimer's disease through an inexpensive blood test will be directed by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Currently the only definitive way to diagnose the disease is by direct examination of brain tissue after the patient dies. This obviously does little to prevent the disease from advancing while the patient is alive.
Some experts have put the cost of a blood test at $200. Current sophisticated brain imaging costs $2,000 or more.
PAUL HARASIM reports
Last month, Robert Nagele, a professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine, said he developed a blood test that is more than 90 percent accurate at identifying antibodies in the blood specific to the disease.
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Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD), is one form of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior.
Memory impairment, as well as problems with language, decision-making ability, judgment, and personality, are necessary features for the diagnosis.
Las Vegas Nevada Receives Attention as Serious Medical Research and Treatment Center
Since establishing the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Brain Injury Center in Las Vegas, the city is a viable contender with other national brain specialty centers. Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (CCLRCBH) provides state-of-the-art care for cognitive disorders and for the family members of those who suffer from them. The physicians and staff at the CCLRCBH are working towards:
- Early diagnosis
- Providing excellent care to patients
- Offering care for the caregivers
- Development of new, powerful treatment options
Another recent advance in brain health in Las Vegas is the union of Stanford University and St. Rose Hospital in the neurosurgery field. This year , U.S. News & World Report named Stanford Hospital and Clinics one of the top 17 hospitals in America.
Another Las Vegas Review Journal piece quotes Maureen Peckman's views on the new neurosurgery center:
Maureen Peckman, chief emerging business officer for the Cleveland Clinic, which oversees the operations and development of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, welcomed the partnership.
"I think that any time our community can attract top-level medical partners in the valley, it's a boon for patient care, boon for raising quality, a boon for everyone engaged in health care in the community," she said.
It is wonderful to see Las Vegas diversifying itself as the great recession continues to swell. The addition of quality medical facility alliances may be the silver lining to the City's failed reliance on the one industry it historically relied on. This may be especially true for brain health.
