Introduction to Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
On Nov. 4, Texans will vote on Proposition 14, a $3 billion plan to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, or DPRIT. Modeled after the state’s cancer research institute, the initiative would fund studies into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
“DPRIT is specifically designed to accelerate research into dementia, attracting top talent to our state and creating high-quality jobs, but the most important goal is to improve the health and quality of life for Texans impacted by dementia,” Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, the Senate’s lead budget writer, said in March.
The measure arrives at a pivotal moment. As Americans live longer, the number of adults who develop dementia annually will double over the next 35 years to about 1 million cases by 2060, according to some estimates. The price tag is rising, too, with dementia-related health and long-term care costs projected to increase to nearly $1 trillion by 2050.
More than 7 million Americans currently have dementia, nearly 10% of people 65 and older. In 2020, Texas alone had nearly half a million residents living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The Creation of the Dementia Institute
The creation of the dementia institute earned bipartisan support during this year’s Legislative session. The bill was carried by Huffman, with dozens of other lawmakers signing onto the bill as either co-authors, sponsors or co-sponsors.
A handful of lawmakers — such as State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian — raised concerns about the $3 billion price tag and the expansion of state government.
The bill overwhelmingly passed both the Senate and the House. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick applauded the passage of the bill, which he had named as one of his priorities for the session.
With DPRIT funding, scientists could identify risk patterns unique to Texans, said Pedro Maia, an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington involved in Alzheimer’s disease research. Such studies, he said, “could lead to Texas-specific interventions or policies.”
Better Detection and Prevention
Neurodegenerative diseases occur when nerve cells in the brain or peripheral nervous system — the network of nerves that runs through the body — malfunction or die, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. These conditions, which include dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, worsen over time and have no cure.
Misfolded proteins that clump into toxic bundles and damage or kill nerve cells appear to be a main driver of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other dementias, said Dr. Marc Diamond, director of UT Southwestern’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Yet key questions remain about how genetics, the immune system and other factors shape when symptoms emerge and how quickly a disease progresses.
“We understand certain aspects of the problem well enough to think about engineering therapies,” Diamond said. In the case of dementia, “we’re pretty sure that the immune system of the brain plays a role, but we don’t understand that well enough. I think a lot of those studies are going to have to come from very careful patient-based studies.”
Dr. Marc Diamond poses for a photograph at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas on June 11, 2021.
Jason Janik / Special Contributor
Machine learning and artificial intelligence will be central to closing those gaps, Maia said. At UT Arlington, researchers are enrolling volunteers in the Arlington Study of Healthy Aging, which aims to track how health changes with age. By building mathematical models of how a person’s brain ages — and comparing those changes with their genetics and medical and lifestyle history — researchers aim to develop AI tools that could estimate a person’s risk and flag early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s very possible that some of this funding could be leveraged to have AI discover new medications or [be] useful for alleviating symptoms or preventing disease,” Maia said.
Catching Alzheimer’s early is a priority for clinicians like Dr. Ihab Hajjar, who directs the North Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at UT Southwestern. Alongside his study of the interaction between brain cells and blood vessels that helps keep the brain healthy, Hajjar is developing an AI tool to spot speech-pattern changes linked to the disease.
AI tools, including large language models, could help clinicians identify people who show early signs of Alzheimer’s or related conditions, said Hajjar, allowing them to be flagged for closer evaluation and possible diagnosis.
Pedro Maia is an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Arlington involved in Alzheimer s disease research.
UT Arlington
