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Christian Messa Sealy & Smith Foundation contributes $1
million to establish distinguished chair GALVESTON, Texas — The Sealy & Smith Foundation has contributed $1 million to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to establish a distinguished chair that will lead efforts to translate the university’s Alzheimer’s disease research breakthroughs into new tools to diagnose, prevent and cure the disease. The creation of the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease Research is another major step in UTMB’s drive to build a nationally ranked clinical and research program in this area. UTMB officials will next seek to recruit a physician-researcher who will hold the distinguished chair and begin overseeing the process of incorporating laboratory findings into patient care. As a result, Alzheimer’s disease patients worldwide would receive new treatments more quickly. Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable, age-related brain disorder that gradually leads to behavioral and personality changes, memory loss and impaired thinking abilities. The disease, which typically appears in about 10 percent of people over the age of 65 and in 50 percent of those over 85, causes the breakdown of nerve cell connections in the brain and the eventual death of those cells. The course of the disease and the rate of decline vary among individuals. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, up to 4.5 million people in the United States currently have the disease, and 11.3 million to 16 million are projected to be diagnosed by 2050. The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates 280,000 Texans have the illness. UTMB President John D. Stobo said the person appointed to the Sealy Distinguished Chair will play a crucial role in the academic health center’s research and clinical efforts. “We are extremely grateful to The Sealy & Smith Foundation for creating this endowed position, which will help us recruit a top-notch researcher to coordinate our efforts to speed the delivery of revolutionary treatments to Alzheimer’s disease patients,” Stobo said. Claudio Soto, Ph.D., director of the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, said he is looking forward to working with the faculty member who will hold the Sealy Distinguished Chair. “It will be an exciting time here at UTMB, to see how much more productive we’ll become as we strive to develop more effective treatments,” said Soto, who holds the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Distinguished University Chair in Neuroscience. “I have no doubt that there are many people in the community, those whose friends and family members are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, who are just as thrilled about this news.” Established in 1922 in Galveston, The Sealy & Smith Foundation is dedicated to supporting facilities and programs that improve patient care in Galveston. John Sealy II and Jennie Sealy Smith incorporated the foundation to perpetuate the philanthropic legacy of their father, John Sealy. Since its establishment, the foundation has contributed more than $500 million to UTMB programs of excellence that enhance the quality of, or access to, patient care services. UTMB
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