Please Support Biomarker Research!

9/15/2010

Dear Friends,

We are writing to ask for your help in meeting a very special challenge.

As many of you know Bob was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) at the age of 47, and passed away from the disease shortly after his 50th birthday. FTD is different from Alzheimer's Disease in that it affects behavior more than memory and typically strikes at a much younger age, when victims may still have mortgages, young children and are in the prime of their career.

Currently there is no means for accurate diagnosis of FTD, there is no approved treatment for FTD, and there is no cure for FTD. We are partnering with the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias (AFTD) and the Danis family to change that.

This fall, every $1 raised for AFTD will be matched THREE times over! Once by the Danis family in Texas and twice by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Together we will contribute a total of $160,000 to fund scientists working to identify biomarkers for FTD. Biomarkers will enable physicians to accurately diagnose FTD, and to conduct clinical trials that will lead to the first effective drugs ever for this disease.

So please, join us and give generously, so the next family that faces this rare disease will face a brighter future than we do today. Every dollar you give will result in $4 for the cause!

Thank you,

Marie Sykes and Michelle Stafford

To make a tax-deductible gift today, go to:
http://www.ftd-picks.org/about/get-involved/donate/electronically/contribute-to-biomarker-research

or

Mail your check, payable to AFTD, to:

AFTD
Radnor Station Building 2, Suite 320
290 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087

About FTD
The frontotemporal dementias (FTD) are a group of degenerative brain disorders that inevitably deprive people of the things that we most value in our loved ones: personality, emotion, judgment, the ability to communicate. While as many as 250,000 men and women in the U.S. may be afflicted with FTD, a diagnostic test to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of this devastating disease does not yet exist. Sadly, the only means for a definitive diagnosis of FTD is post-mortem, through brain autopsy.

About Biomarkers
Biomarkers are vital to the proper diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Biomarkers such as cholesterol and blood pressure help physicians assess cardiovascular health, while biomarkers such as blood sugar help them diagnose and prescribe treatment for diabetes. Unfortunately, there are no biomarkers for FTD. However, researchers are working diligently to identify specific biomarkers such as blood tests, cerebrospinal fluid protein levels, or brain scans that would improve the ability to make an accurate diagnosis of FTD and identify potential targets for treatment.

About AFTD
The Association for Frontotemporal Dementias (AFTD) is a nonprofit organization that promotes and funds research into finding the cause, therapies, and cures for FTD. It also provides information, education and support to people diagnosed with FTD, as well as their families and caregivers. With an expanding international network of families, caregivers and healthcare professionals, AFTD is making a real difference in the lives of those living and working with FTD.