The race to prevent Alzheimer's disease

A woman, suffering from Alzheimer's
A woman, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, walks in a corridor on March 18, 2011 in a retirement house in Angervilliers, eastern France.
SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty Images

The Obama administration released an action plan this year aiming to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025. The plan is attached to $50 million in new federal money this year and the promise of more funds next year.

More from Medical Daily:

"Around 5.1 million Americans are already affected by Alzheimer's or other similar dementias, and the administration said that that number is expected to double every 5 years, is expected to reach up to 16 million by 2050, which will put tremendous strains on caregivers and on health and long-term care systems.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which issued the draft plan, sets effective prevention and treatment methods by 2025 as a top priority, but it also focuses on optimizing care quality and enhancing support for Alzheimer's patient families and caregivers.

'Alzheimer's disease burdens an increasing number of our nation's elders and their families, and it is essential that we confront the challenge it poses to our public health,' President Barack Obama said in the introduction section of the draft."

Where are we in the race to find a cure? What are the changes researchers will meet the 2025 deadline?

George Vradenburg, head of the Vradenburg Foundation and co-founder of the USAgainstAlzheimer's Network, will join The Daily Circuit Thursday to discuss finding a cure for Alzheimer's. Gary Landreth, director of the Alzheimer Research Laboratory at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will also join the discussion.