[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 46 (Wednesday, April 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ALZHEIMER'S/OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION

  (Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce 
remarkable news from the great State of Oklahoma. Today, the Oklahoma 
Medical Research Foundation will announce a breakthrough discovery in 
the fight against Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at OMRF discovered 
the enzyme which is found in our brains and which scientists believe is 
directly responsible for the Alzheimer's disease.
  Not only did Oklahoma researchers pinpoint the cause of Alzheimer's 
disease, they have also designed a way to stop it. If this breakthrough 
can successfully be transformed into a drug, Alzheimer's could become a 
manageable disease, like high blood pressure, diabetes, not the 
terminal disease we know now. This discovery will have a profound 
impact, since 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's and another 
19 million members of their families suffer along with them.
  I hope one day my kids can view Alzheimer's the same way my 
generation views polio, a terrible disease that was conquered with 
scientific advances. Basic research forms the building blocks of 
science and medicine and this type of breakthrough clearly illustrates 
why the Federal Government's investment in basic research is 
invaluable. Again, I am excited to report this and the many coming 
announcements of good news from the Oklahoma Medical Research 
Foundation.

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