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Christian Messa Mitchells contribute $2 million to
Alzheimer’s disease drug research GALVESTON, Texas — Famed Texas oil man and real estate developer George Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia, recently contributed $2 million to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to support the research and development of drugs to combat Alzheimer’s disease. The Mitchells’ contribution will establish the Drug Discovery and Development Program within UTMB’s George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Created last year with a commitment from the Mitchell Foundation, the center is dedicated to developing earlier diagnostic techniques for those afflicted with the disease, as well as designing more effective treatments and strengthening the university’s existing research program in neurodegenerative diseases. 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 Alzheimer’s, 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 officials will use the Mitchells’ latest support to remodel space to accommodate three new laboratories reserved for computer-aided drug design, pharmacological evaluation and high-throughput screening, an assessment tool that accelerates researchers’ ability to determine which drug designs will work best at fighting Alzheimer’s disease. The Mitchells’ contribution and pledge will fund laboratory equipment, software and supplies, as well as help recruit faculty and research personnel for the laboratories. It will also support UTMB’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions Campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. UTMB President John D. Stobo said the Mitchells’ support will enhance the academic health center’s ability to produce results in Alzheimer’s drug research. “George and Cynthia Mitchell are giving us the tools our faculty experts need to make significant advances in designing drugs to counteract the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease,” Stobo said. “We appreciate their help as we seek to improve the lives of those afflicted with this disorder.” Dr. Tetsuo Ashizawa, chairman of UTMB’s Department of Neurology, thanked the Mitchells for continuing to support the university’s Alzheimer’s disease research. “Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have allowed our Alzheimer’s studies to take significant strides forward,” said Ashizawa, the John Sealy Chair in Neurology. “With their backing, we are making important progress in our understanding of this disease.” Added Dr. Claudio Soto, the Charlotte Warmouth Professor in Neurology at UTMB, “I am looking forward to seeing the promising results produced in our new laboratories and made possible by the Mitchells’ generosity.” Soto, an internationally recognized authority on protein-misfolding disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, will supervise most of the laboratories’ research personnel. He directs UTMB’s Protein Misfolding Disorders Laboratory. Longtime UTMB supporters, the Mitchells made their first contribution to Alzheimer’s disease research at the academic health center in 2001 when they funded studies for the disease and other age-related neurodegenerative conditions. In 2004, they established the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research. The Mitchells also created the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Medicine. This endowed faculty position supports ongoing research and education at the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging, a nationally recognized geriatrics program. The distinguished chair is currently held by Dr. James S. Goodwin, director of the Sealy Center on Aging. George Mitchell, who was born in Galveston, built Mitchell Energy into one of the nation’s largest independent gas and oil producers. In the 1960s, the legendary wildcatter and real estate visionary created and developed The Woodlands, a 27,000-acre planned community located 25 miles north of downtown Houston and recognized as one of the premier master-planned communities in the United States. In addition to founding and developing The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Performing Arts in The Woodlands, the Mitchells are credited with spawning the resurgence of tourism and preservation on Galveston Island through their restoration of the city’s historic Strand district and by reviving Mardi Gras celebrations on the island. UTMB |
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