CHI & HINJ to Co-Host Congressional Briefing on Alzheimer's Disease Research and Therapeutic Advancements, Innovations and Treatments

CHI-California Healthcare Institute and the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) will host a congressional briefing to facilitate a dialogue about Alzheimer's disease research. This program will include an overview of advances stemming from California's and New Jersey's life sciences sectors, with an expert panel discussing current research and drug development, as well as future discoveries.

Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) will host the event. The event will feature several health experts including: David Gollaher, Ph.D., CHI President and CEO; Dean Paranicas, HINJ President and CEO; Joseph Hammang, Ph.D., senior director of worldwide science policy at Pfizer; Dr. Stuart Lipton, director of Sanford-Burnham's Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center; Bob Nelson, Ph.D., research fellow with Lundbeck Research USA; Wayne Poon, Ph.D., director of UC Irvine's MIND Brain Bank and Tissue Repository; and Kimberly Scearce-Levie, Ph.D., head of in vivo neurobiology at Genentech Inc.

According to a 2011 report released by the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease, and someone develops the disease every 69 seconds. The United States, like many other countries, has an aging population with almost one in five residents reaching the age of 65 or older by 2030. With the imminent increase in dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease and other conditions - and without a cure - the development of new innovations and treatments remains all the more critical to assist in improving the quality of live for those affected. CHI members Genentech, Pfizer, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and University of California, Irvine and HINJ members Merck, Lundbeck, Bayer and Pfizer are all working to advance important new studies and therapeutics.

Caitlin Doyle, CHI's associate director of federal government relations and programs (Doyle@chi.org or 202-974-6323).

CHI represents more than 250 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI's mission is to advance responsible public policies that foster medical innovation and promote scientific discovery. CHI's website is www.chi.org. Follow us on Twitter @calhealthcare and Facebook.

Founded in 1997, the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) serves as a unified voice for the state′s biopharmaceutical and medical technology industry in New Jersey. It seeks to expand public access to the latest and most innovative treatments for diseases and build awareness of the industry′s impact on New Jersey′s quality of life and economic well-being. It helps to advance the development and implementation of sound public health and business policies that support the interests of New Jersey, its people and its life sciences industry.