We are really excited at the Alliance to announce the addition of five new members to our Science Advisory Board including a prominent bioethicist, a world-renowned neurologist, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, a leading longevity researcher, and the only cardiologist to receive all four major cardiovascular research awards. Our Science Advisors are actively engaged in understanding the aging process, age-related disease, and the implications of an aging society. They offer us scientific insight, guidance, and expertise and help ensure that our health education and policy efforts meet the highest standards.

In a time where health care spending is sky-rocketing, where will the public draw the line? Evidence from comparative effectiveness research (CER) is increasingly being used in health-care treatment decision-making around the globe, yet there is still a lot to be learned about how the public feels and where they think the lines should be drawn.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in people over the age of 65. Until relatively recently, people diagnosed with AMD faced an almost certain road of progressively worsening vision. For many, that road led to legal blindness. Thanks to new drugs, much of the vision loss from wet AMD can now be prevented—or at least slowed. In many cases, it can even be reversed.

New Competition from the X Prize Foundation Aimed at the Genomes of Centenarians

The Archon Genomics X Prize Presented by medco® offers $10 million to the first team of researchers that can quickly and affordably sequence 100 genomes—of people at least 100 years old that is!

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S.—yet in most cases, catching it early and treating it properly can mean saving sight. So why aren’t people taking the steps to find out if they have the disease, and treat it if they do?

Even though it’s a serious condition that typically leads to death after the onset of serious symptoms (such as angina and syncope), aortic stenosis (AS) is under-diagnosed—and even more scary—under-treated.

In response to President Obama’s March 9th Executive Order lifting the Bush Administration’s restrictions on stem cell research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued draft guidelines on the federal funding of this research. The public comment period for the draft is open through May 26th so there’s still time to have your voice heard!

Reaching a major milestone for embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first human clinical trial for a treatment based on embryonic stem cells. The trial—to be conducted by biotechnology company Geron Corp.—will focus on the safety of a treatment for spinal cord injury. The trial will start with up to 10 paralyzed patients who can be treated within 14 days of their injury. If it’s found safe, the company will expand the trial and shift its focus to effectiveness.