We Need an Operation Warp Speed for Alzheimer's and Dementia

Women's Alzheimer's Movement founder Maria Shriver and UsAgainstAlzheimer's co-founder George Vradenburg write in Time that U.S. President Biden's forward-thinking commitment to research cures for Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia requires an Operation Warp Speed-like model to implement. Operation Warp Speed removed bureaucratic barriers to allow drug companies and federal agencies to collaboratively develop, produce, and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, and the authors see great value in following a similar process in the fight against dementia. "Incremental innovations must build on each other to deliver better treatments — as we strive toward a cure — step by step," Shriver and Vradenburg contend. They also urge Biden to "follow through on his promise of $300 billion to promote research and development, including $50 billion for the National Institutes of Health to find cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, and diabetes. We know that presidential action, when coupled with bipartisan support, can lead to historic and seismic change." Shriver and Vradenburg further recommend that Biden put the fight against dementia back on the global stage, by calling on world leaders to prioritize research into cures and therapies. "Launching a new Operation Warp Speed for Alzheimer's and dementia will save millions of lives, bring economic relief to families nationwide, and re-establish global leadership in the fight against this terrible disease," the authors conclude.