Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit the team at Indiana University Indianapolis and see firsthand their work on a huge Alzheimer’s breakthrough: blood-based diagnostic tests. 

I’m optimistic that these tests will become more widely accessible in the months ahead. Catching Alzheimer’s disease early is key. We now know that the disease begins 20 years before you start to see any signs. A simple, accurate, and easy-to-run blood test would make routine screening possible, identifying patients long before they experience cognitive decline.  

Every time I learn about a new breakthrough, I get more excited about a future where no one has to suffer from this horrible disease ever again. I first became interested in Alzheimer’s because of its costs—both emotional and economic—to families and healthcare systems. My dad died from Alzheimer’s, so my family knows firsthand how devastating it is to watch people you love struggle as the disease robs them of their mental capacity.  

In the United States, Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh most common cause of death—and yet as of today, there is no meaningful treatment for it. I’m hopeful that will change soon. There is a lot of amazing work being done in this field to delay Alzheimer’s and reduce its cognitive impact, and I’m lucky to support some of it. I believe Alzheimer’s is a frontier where we can dramatically improve human life. 

People should be able to enjoy their later years—and we need lots of breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s to fulfill that.