Brews and Brains

Guest: Gianna Fote, MD/PhD Student, Dept. of Biological Chemistry, UCI

Topic: Your brain’s superheroes are the garbage men: taking out the trash in Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease

Abstract:
James Watson was also the second person ever to have his genome sequenced, and there was only one portion of his DNA that he chose not to be revealed; the Alzheimer’s disease risk gene APOE. The difficulty of this decision, to test or not to test, when there is nothing that can be done for a patient with a positive result, is well known to individuals who have family members with other incurable, genetically inherited diseases. For example, Huntington’s disease is a neurological disease which is characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive and psychiatric decline, and eventual death beginning at middle age. If one of your parents has the disease, you have a 50% chance of getting it, and there are no treatments, so the question of whether to test, or not to test agonizes patients and their families. There will never be a right answer to the question of whether to test, until there is something we can do. I am an MD/PhD student, and I envision a world where knowledge is truly power, and every patient with a family history of neurological disease will have a good reason to find out their genetic status.

Agenda

6:30-6:55 PM Arrive, order food and drinks

6:55 PM - 7:10 PM Brief intro of leadership team, introduction of speaker and speaker presentation

7:10 - 7:30 PM Conclusion of presentation and Q&A

7:30 - 9:00 PM Formal conclusion of event, networking and more Beer!

Info:

We meet on the outside patio of Fireside Tavern, which is located right by the lobby. Hotel parking is free. Come early to take advantage of happy hour prices!