The Texas Senate will prioritize the creation of a dementia research fund

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Two decades ago, Rep. state. Tom Craddick he could ask a room of his constituents in West Texas what disease they feared most, and the answer, without fail, was always cancer.

A few weeks ago, around the time when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick When contacted about a successful new medical research fund idea, Craddick asked the question again to a group of voters, and no one mentioned cancer.

“It was unanimous in the room,” Craddick said. “Alzheimer’s and Dementia”.

Craddick, R-Midland, told the story to a room full of raucous researchers gathered at the University of Texas at Austin this week, a day after Patrick made a stunning announcement that he wants lawmakers to approve a dementia research fund , modeled after the success of Texas. The $6 billion Cancer Research and Prevention Institute, known as CPRIT.

A Texas-funded dementia research fund modeled after its successful 15-year-old cancer fund has the potential to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into a field still searching for better ways to slow symptoms, as well as a cure. Since CPRIT began in 2007, it has become the nation’s second-largest funder of cancer research, and if successful, the dementia counterpart could have a global impact on how people with the disease are prevented and cared for.

“Like CPRIT, this investment will attract top researchers and companies to Texas and require them to be based in Texas, leading to further investment in our state,” Patrick said in a statement Monday.

Patrick added that Craddick along with the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Joan HuffmanR-Houston, will work with him to get a bill through the Texas Legislature this year and then bring the proposal before voters.

“I don’t think there’s a family in Texas that hasn’t been personally touched by these diseases or doesn’t have a close friend,” Huffman said, noting that about 30 percent of Medicaid recipients in Texas who are in nursing homes of old people. have dementia-related problems, and patients with dementia are more likely to be readmitted to hospitals. “We’re paying a lot in the back for these diseases.”

Few details have surfaced since Patrick announced that he will make the Texas Institute for Dementia Prevention and Research a priority this session, which begins Jan. 14. It’s unclear how much money such a fund would have or how it would be financed, either through bonds. as CPRIT was, or if the state’s enviable Economic Stabilization Fund, also more commonly known as the rainy day fund, was used to begin with. Calls to Patrick’s office for more details were not immediately returned by the Texas Tribune.

But Craddick’s anecdote underscored what Patrick and other lawmakers are finding in their own districts. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are a real concern because of the cost and the devastating costs.

Patrick’s Campaign for Dementia Research

Patrick’s announcement picks up from 2023, when a similar bill failed. That year, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, along with Craddick and others were authors House Bill 15which would have created a Texas Brain and Mental Health Institute that would have received 300 million dollars in state subsidies every year. The House passed the measure, but it died in the Senate.

“I think it was too wide,” Craddick said of the 2023 attempt.

Then, a few months ago, Patrick began contacting Huffman and Craddick about creating a fund based on the CPRIT model.

“I’ve kind of had ideas floating around for several sessions,” Huffman told the Tribune, adding that Patrick had been interested in dementia research for some time. “He wanted to make it one of his priorities.”

Highlighting the proposal so early, Craddick, the former speaker of the Texas House, doesn’t anticipate any obstacles.

“I think the odds are excellent,” he said of the likelihood of passing the proposal. He already has the support, he said, of House Speaker Dade Phelan.

What is the CPRIT model

Texas voters approved the creation of CPRIT in 2007, funding $3 billion for it through a bond issue.

Voters approved another $3 billion for it five years agoeven after being considered in 2012 for the award $56 million in grants to research that has not been properly verified. the director of CPRIT resigned and after a change in leadership, CPRIT has continued to thrive as an engine of medical research, awarding more than $3.7 billion in grants to date.

It is now the largest investment effort in cancer research, second only to the federal government. It has helped recruit 324 researchers to Texas and helped either start, expand or relocate 74 companies in the state.

“The legislative decision to create this agency through constitutional amendment, and the overwhelming support of the people of Texas, gives CPRIT the long-term stability it needs to take on a task as important as defeating cancer,” said CPRIT CEO Kristen Doyle this week. , recognizing the organization’s 15th anniversary.

Alzheimer’s risk on the rise in Texas

Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease, is the most common form of dementia, representing about 80% of casesaccording to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Alzheimer’s symptoms — memory loss and the inability to perform simple tasks — tend to develop in the mid to late 60s and occur when clumps of abnormal proteins block brain cell communication. Symptoms may be mild at first and may worsen over time.

Of the nearly 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, almost two thirds are women, and dementia care costs Americans more than 300 billion dollars a year.

While a 2023 study shows that the eastern and southeastern United States have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s, Texas is one of three states that has the highest estimated number of elderly residents who are at risk for Alzheimer’s. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 459,000 Texans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, about 12% of the state’s population over 65.

In Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, where the residents are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, became a dementia research center.

Paying for a ‘bold vision’

News that a dementia fund will be possible next year has been praised by health campaigners.

Andy Keller, president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, called it a “bold vision” for treating and ultimately curing dementia and related neurological disorders.

“In passing, the condition that put a man on the moon and is leading the charge against cancer will hold incredible potential to prevent, treat and cure the neurological diseases that affect so many Texans,” Keller said.

The Alzheimer’s Association, which advocates for more research, also expressed support for Patrick’s efforts.

“Our shared goal is to improve the quality of life for those currently affected by Alzheimer’s as we work toward a future with better treatment options and, ultimately, a cure,” said Melissa Sanchez, Senior Policy Officer Texas public of the association.

At the University of Texas Systems Brain Research Summit on Tuesday, Dr. John Zerwas, vice chancellor for health affairs for the UT System, interviewed Huffman, Craddick and the neurosurgeon and state representative. Greg BonnenR-Friendswood, on Patrick’s proposal, pointing out how research efforts like CPRIT have helped make Texas a better magnet for bioscience research. This happened even as the state ranks near the bottom in the amount of per capita research funding it receives from the National Institutes of Health.

“Because Texas is an exceptionally large, well-populated state, we’re only 30th in the nation,” said Zerwas, a former state lawmaker.

Huffman responded that lawmakers are always looking for a way to pull in more federal dollars, and if spending more state funds brings more federal money to Texas, that’s an opportunity worth considering.

“I always say Texas is a donor state, which means we, you know, pay more in federal income tax than what we get from the federal government,” Huffman said. “That’s just the truth. And when we see opportunities to make good investments that are sound investments that support our Texas values ​​and goals, then we take advantage of that opportunity.”

As for how it will be funded, none of the three lawmakers committed to a single method.

“There are several ways to do this,” Bonnen said. “Just about anything will move the ball forward.”

Disclosure: The University of Texas System has financially supported The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial backers play no role in Tribune journalism. Find a complete their list here.