VOA标准英语2012--New Research, Funds Raise Hopes for Alzheimer's Cure

New Research, Funds Raise Hopes for Alzheimer's Cure

Dr. Ron Petersen, a neurologist and pioneer in Alzheimer's research, was among the first to diagnose the disease in perhaps its most famous victim: former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
After a decade-long decline, Reagan died of Alzheimer's in 2004. He was 93.
Dr. Petersen says in the years since then, there have been great strides in our understanding of the illness, with some of the most rapid progress coming in just the past five years.
"We are able to recognize the earliest features of the disease and perhaps even diagnose the disease tendency when people are still normal. We now need to bring along therapeutics that are going to make a difference," said Petersen.
Petersen points to important recent discoveries about the biochemical causes of the disease, new techniques for diagnosing it sooner and better approaches to caring for Alzheimer's patients. But in order to make a real difference in the lives of those patients, Petersen says there is a dire² need for more effective treatments that will have an impact on the underlying³ disease process.
"Currently, we have drugs that are available for treating the symptoms of the disease, but they do not have an impact on the overall outcome," added Petersen.
The new research money from the Obama administration is meant to change that.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of National Institutes of Health, says the research made possible by those additional funds will help speed the search for a cure -- a goal that appears closer than ever before:
"We are finally beginning to be able to understand what causes the brain cells in somebody with AD to get into trouble and how that spreads from one cell to next," said Collins. "That gives us the best chance that we have ever had to be able to identify therapeutic¹ approaches that go right to the heart of the problem."
Other experts share that hope. Guy Eakin is vice⁴ president of the American Health Assistance Foundation, which funds research on Alzheimer's and other age-related degenerative diseases.
"There is a disease-modifying treatment in the near future and certainly the political impetus⁵ is to solve this disease within the next decade. That may seem slow, but the rate at which research progresses is, unfortunately, a slow process," said Eakin.
For a century after scientists first identified it, Alzheimer's Disease remained a stubborn medical mystery, with no clues to its cause, or its cure. However, now experts are confident that with continued research breakthroughs and a continued political commitment, the battle to conquer Alzheimer's could soon be won.

1 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。