Sustainability within cities is generally defined as: the ability of a city to develop in a manner that is able to accommodate for a rising population — and its resulting externalities — while still maintaing a high degree of ecological awareness. Due to the continuing world-wide trend of urbanization, the population of many major cities has increased and consequently brought problems such as heightened levels of pollution, consumption and waste along with it. Practical solutions that are both efficient and cost effective are hard to come by and many cities are often overwhelmed by obstacles created from the flood of people into the city. In fact, the words “sustainability” and “major city” are often not used in the same sentence as cities that are both large and sustainable are few and far between. However, one city may have bridged the gap  and successfully linked the two, this city is Curitiba, Brazil.

A Blueprint For Sustainability

The city of Curitiba, Brazil is truly one of the world’s most amazing metropolitan areas. Located within the Brazilian state of Parana, the history of Curitiba has been relatively modest and the city remained somewhat small and unknown until the 1950’s. However, thanks in large part to the fact that the city has been blessed to have leaders who have considered the people and communities of Curitiba to be their greatest asset rather than a burden, the city has emerged as one of the most progressive and sustainable cities in the world.

Curitiba, like many countries in South America, has experienced large waves of urbanization throughout the past couple of decades. However, unlike many of its counterparts who were unable to handle the influx of people, Curitiba managed to not only adjust to the rising population, but has also emerged as a global leader in sustainable development.  This note-worthy feat was not the product of chance, but rather, the culmination of progressive thinking, careful planning and extraordinary vision.   The results of these characteristics speak for themselves and although Curitiba currently has a population of roughly 1.8 million people – four times the amount recorded in the 1960’s – the city is operating more efficiently than ever before.

History of Planning

Alfred Agache, a French architect and urban designer, developed one of the first plans for the city of Curitiba.  Agache’s plan, which consisted of measures such as improved sanitation networks, increased housing and the expansion of roads, proved unsuccessful as the population explosion hit Curitiba.  As people continued to pour into the city, problems including pollution and over-crowding soon followed. In the plan set by Agache, the changes that were required to meet the needs of the growing population called for a substantial amount of funding that was not available at the time. Furthermore, the plan would have also destroyed a large number of historical buildings that were important to the culture of the city. The local community and more specifically the cities architects responded by vehemently opposing this plan. This resistance coupled with the lack of finances, led the mayor at the time, Ivo Arzua, to seek new proposals for the development of Curitiba.  Among the submissions was a design put forth by a team of architects led by a man named Jaime Lerner.

Jamie Lerner was a young architect, engineer and urban planner who was born and raised in Curitiba. Like many other members of the community, he strongly opposed the destruction of the cities historical landmarks and when other development proposals were being considered, he and a team of architects submitted a master plan that was ultimately approved by the city council. The team’s plan was centered around the goal of making Curitiba a city in which development was fundamentally based on the needs of its people rather than automobiles. In order to assist in this continuing effort, the city established the Urban Planning Institute of Curitiba (IPPUC).

The IPPUC was formed as an independent agency charged with the duty of overseeing the future development of the city.  As intended, this institution quickly became a hub of inspiration and gave rise to many of the key ideas that have been crucial in reshaping Curitiba.  The IPPUC has also helped to ensure that the central ideas set forth within the newly established master plan would be able to endure for decades to come.

Shortly after the inception of the IPPUC, Brazil began to experience political turmoil and the accepted master plan was consequently put on hold.  Fortunately, the IPPUC remained and was able to preserve the master plan until 1971 when Jamie Lerner was appointed as the mayor of Curitiba. Under Lerner’s tenure’s as mayor, Curitiba began to evolve into a Mecca of sustainability.  The combination of the new master plan and formation of the ICCUP proved to be a perfect match and the goals of Lerner and other architectural visionaries could finally become a reality.

However, not everyone was in favor of the team’s ideas, which were fundamentally different from the original Agache plan.  The previous measure would have created a concentric system of roads that would have directed the flow of traffic into the center of city, under this plan the central street of Rua Quinze would have been destroyed and replaced with a new overpass. Lerner and his team wanted to keep the Rua Quinze intact and to make this possible their design incorporated a linear system of roads that would radiate around the city and opted to close the historical Rua Quinze to cars, creating a “pedestrian mall”. The plan was met with hostility as Lerner soon realized that convincing storeowners who had never seen or even heard of a pedestrian mall would be a daunting task.  Objections were also voiced by members of the local auto clubs; some even going as far as vowing to “take back” the road by driving down the Rua Quinze even if it was closed to cars.  Despite objections to the plan, the team of architects persevered and in literally one weekend they were able to transform the central street of Rua Quinze into Learner’s vision of a pedestrian mall. Once it was developed, many of the storeowners who were skeptical of the idea, quickly embraced the change and some even petitioned to extend the mall. Disgruntled members of the automobile club who had pledged to reclaim the street did indeed arrive. However, they quickly abandoned their cause as they were greeted by a myriad of children painting on slabs of paper in the middle of the road, effectively preventing access.  While this event was without a doubt a crucial moment marking the changing attitudes within the city, it was only the beginning of the major transformations that would occur within Curitiba. In the decades that followed, Jamie Lerner continued to be a significant influence within the city and ultimately served as a three-time mayor as well as the governor to the Brazilian state of Parana. As a result of the groundwork laid down by Jaime Lerner and his fellow urban planners, Curitiba has received recognition from around the world in honor of their work towards developing a sustainable city.  Some of the many notable achievements that have helped to make Curitiba so special include: the implementation of their innovative system of mass transportation and their approach to environmental awareness.

Mass Transportation

In order for the master plan that had been set forth by Jaime Lerner and his team of architects to succeed, they needed to establish an efficient form of mass transportation that would be used by a majority of the population. The team discussed the possibility of building an underground rail system but quickly dismissed the idea as too expensive and instead focused their efforts on an above ground system of buses. This proved to be a cost effective decision as a local Volvo factory was already producing many of the buses that were running throughout the city.  In addition, the buses that were currently in use could be integrated into the expanded network that was soon to come.

The new system of transportation that the city implemented ultimately consisted of five main roads that would radiate around the city and throughout the “designated growth corridors”.  The goal of these designated growth corridors was to promote commercial development within specific areas along the newly formed transportation routes. In order to prevent unchecked growth and combat urban sprawl, a series of zoning initiatives were enacted.  These initiatives based zoning regulations on the density level of the given development. Construction projects considered to be high density were only permitted around the central growth corridors but lower densities were authorized outside of the designated areas.

By establishing an efficient network of mass transportation and aligning the cities commercial growth along new transit routes, Curitiba has made travelling by mass transit more practical than using private cars. In Curitiba today, around seventy-five percent of the population uses the public transit and 1.3 million people use the buses on a daily basis, this figure is more than fifty times what it was twenty years ago!

Environmental Awareness

Curitiba has received a wealth of praise for its progressive methods aimed at stimulating environmental awareness.  Along with educating its youth to the benefits of environmental protection at a very young age, the city has also established a variety of programs that offer incentives for collecting trash and materials that are recyclable.  Among these programs are the “food exchange program” and “trash is not trash”.  While similar in nature, the incentives offered by the two programs differ.  The food exchange program is geared towards improving the health and the cleanliness of communities by rewarding those who recycle with fresh fruits and vegetables.  While, “Trash is not trash” allows waste to be exchanged for transportation passes and promotes both the use of public transit and environmental sustainability. Due to their extraordinary efforts and innovative programs, the city has successfully made recycling in Curitiba a way of life and as a result, more than seventy-five percent of the public now recycles.

Moreover, Curitiba is literally one of the greenest urban centers on the planet.  With over twenty-eight parks and a wealth of undeveloped land, the city boasts one of the highest proportions of green space in the world with around fifty-four square meters per capita. Instead of destroying open spaces, Curitiba has often elected to preserve the land adjacent to lakes and streams to act as barriers in times of flooding. The conservation efforts undertaken by city have proven that the preservation of land can be aesthetically pleasing while still providing benefits to the community.

Lessons to be learned

Curitiba, Brazil has taken a revolutionary approach towards developing its city within a sustainable nature. Thanks in large part to the tremendous efforts put forth by men such as Jamie Lerner; foundations like the IPPUC were established and have ensured that new developments within the city have continued to remain aligned with the basic principles laid out in the master plan. Moreover, by designing the master plan around the fundamental tenets of smart growth, community involvement and environmental awareness, Curitiba was able to cope with the continuing population growth while becoming one of the greatest cities in the world.  Despite the consistent lack of financial resources, the urban planners within the city were able to create innovative solutions to many of the cities problems that proved to be both functional and cost effective.  moreover, by actively encouraging citizen participation among the community, the city changed from the bottom up and social capital has been able to flourish.

Curitiba is proof that sustainability within a large city is possible. As the population of the world continues to rise, crowding within cities will become increasingly common.  In order to better handle the population of the future, cities and local governments need to start planning today.  And while each city is distinct and presents its own set of challenges, the unique approach that the city of Curitiba has taken towards a more sustainable existence should be inspiration to Cities around the globe.

some portraits can be found here

Roughly 10 minutes before the exam, the group of guys sitting directly behind me began to discuss how nervous they had been prior to the test. This, of course, led to each individually recalling their personal “horror story” relating to the previous nights — or rather weeks — of studying. As the discussion progressed, it was not long before one of the individuals shared with the group that immediately before coming into the exam, he had snorted “Oxycontin” as a means of controlling his anxiety and nervousness.  To my surprise, none of the other students who were engaged in the conversation found this to be strange at all; in fact, many of those involved went on to ask him the generic questions regarding drugs: where did he get it and how much did it cost?

Throughout my high school career, I had only come in contact with Oxycontin a couple of times, however as my senior year came to a close — and even more so as I entered college — Oxycontin had become increasing prevalent throughout my social circle and by the time I had been accepted into USC — after attending a local CC — many of my friends were actively using this new pharmaceutical drug which they described as “Vicodin 10X”.  As the months passed and I began to spend the majority of my time up at school, many of my friends at home who had been experimenting with Oxycontin had begun to develop deep addictions for the drug.  What had began as recreational usage, morphed into a daily dependence at an astonishing rate and to make matters worse, this evolution was not solely limited to their bodies increased physical dependence for the drug, it pertained to the methods in which they used to achieve the high as well.  What began as simply swallowing the pill — as is intended for Oxycontin use — quickly turned into something much more dangerous as my friends began crushing the pill up and snorting it; once smashed, the outer layer of the pill which acts as a time release is effectively removed and snorting the ending results in a quick and extremely intense high. Soon enough, this came to be the predominant means by which many of my friends who used Oxycontin got high. Nevertheless as their tolerance to the drug continued to escalate, they were always looking for new ways to reach the drugs desired effects, as a result, some even resorted to shooting up or “slamming” the drug.

Despite having some personal knowledge and a myriad of second-hand experience with Oxycontin, I was not aware of how common its use was among teenagers and more specifically amongst college students until I overheard to conversation prior to my midterm. The experience made me not only question how many of my fellow peers were using Oxycontin, but also where this drug had come from, and what made it was so readily available.

In 1995, America was formally introduced to the pharmaceutical pain reliever known as Oxycontin. Manufactured by the Purdue Pharma Company, this “wonder drug” — as it soon become known — promised to alleviate chronic pain that was associated with debilitating injuries, diseases and other serious ailments that can cause patients to experience moderate to severe pain on a daily basis.  Since its inception, Oxycontin has been hailed as a revolutionary drug; championed by both pain management specialists and patients alike and while the active component within oxycontin — “Oxycodone” —  has been around for quite sometime, the structure and means by which the drug is delivered, is new.  At the time in which Oxycontin was developed, traditional pain medications would generally last for only 2-3 hours and therefore had to be consumed repeatedly throughout the day, Oxycontin however, was unique in the sense that it was designed to release pain medication over a much longer time frame of about 8-12 hours and thus required only about 2 pills a day to keep the pain away. This was major improvement over the standard pain pills of the time and helped to make Oxycontin the top selling opiod-based pain medication in the year 2001. Yet, as oxycontin began to dramatically increased in popularity, the number of cases in which the drug had been abused rose as well and it was not long before the public began to witness the darker side of the Oxycontin dilemma.

Within the medical world, Oxycontin belongs to a class of pain medications known as opiods.  Like other forms of pain medication belonging to this category including morphine, codeine and heroin, oxycontin’s main active component oxycodone, works by blocking the intake of pain receptors within the brain. Due to the way in which oxycontin’s time release mechanism works, patients are warned to never remove the outer coating of the pill.  Nevertheless, because it is a surprisingly easy task to accomplish and the final product promises to pack a extraordinarily potent high, this warning is often unheeded and consuming the “altered” pills can result in severe physical danger as well as the development of a strong addiction to the drug. In fact, between 2000 to 2001 hospitals within the St. Louis area reported a 41% increase in the number of patients who were admitted due to oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drug overdoses.  Furthermore, a study conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse found that 1 in 20 high school seniors have admitted to trying oxycontin and also discovered that oxycontin use among 12th graders increased by 40% nationwide in just 3 years.

How did Oxycontin go from being a revolutionary pain medication hailed by medical community to one of the newest drug trends sweeping across our nation? I believe some of the key factors that have helped to fuel oxycontin’s popularity as a street drug include the monetary gain that is available from selling oxycontin and the stigma that oxycontin is “safe” because it can be legally acquired from a doctor as long as you have a prescription.

The first factor, monetary gain, is a no brainer.  Money makes the world go round, in all honesty, it is hard to argue that the entire pharmaceutical industry would even exist if making money from the sale of drugs was prohibited.  The same concept applies to drugs on the street, especially one with as high of a profit margin as Oxycontin.  Although I am not proud to know people who abuse Oxycontin, my acquaintances did allow me to gain insight into the crazy world of Oxicontin and those who abuse it.  The person I was talking to explained that a couple of months ago a friend had referred him to doctor who was rather “lenient” when prescribing Oxycontin.  With nothing to lose he decided to go check it out and ended up receiving a “script” as it is called, for 20 Oxycontins a month.  After of couple months consisting of a steady diet of pills, it turns out the doctor was being watched and had been “red flagged”.  Out of fear of losing her practice, the doctor began to tell all her patients that she would no longer be able to accommodate their needs unless they were able to provide x-rays proving they had a condition(why she did she not do this before is beyond me…) .  Anyways, my source then went to his primary physician and actually got an xray which showed that he really did have a slight case of scoliosis.  With his X-Rays in hand, he went back to doctor and left this time with 60 oxycontin pills and 20 pills of xanax for which he payed a total of around $150 (80 for the pills and 70 for the doctors co-pay).  Where I come from, Oxicontin demands an enormous street value of $50 a pill! In order to make his money back, all my source needed to do was sell 3 pills, the rest either added up to a large amount of cash profit or were kept and consumed.

The second factor that has led to the explosion of Oxycontin on the streets has been the “safe” stigma that has been attached to them.  I have spoken to countless people who all contend that because Oxicontin comes from a doctor it must be relatively harmless.  What many people don’t realize is that once oxicontin is synthesized within the body, the end result is not much different from herion as they are both opiods.  It is my belief that this stigma creates a false sense of security which has greatly contributed to the rise of Oxicontin abuse.

As you can see, A dilemma is present regarding the use and potential abuse of Oxicontin.  While the revolutionary pain pill is able to relief to millions of people who suffer from chronic pain, it is also one of the most up and coming drugs on the streets.  It is also one of the easiest drugs to find and despite being costly, continues to gain popularity.  I believe that if we wish to resolve the current dilemma, greater oversight and protocols regarding is being prescribed the pills must be established.  Until then, the Oxicontin dilemma will continue to run rampant across America.

The study gave the first place nod the New England state of Vermont; this was due in large part to Vermont’s low levels of obesity and child poverty, and the high number of doctors within the state.  Interestingly enough, the health trend was present through the East Coast; all 6 of the New England states received favorable rankings and found themselves amongst the top ten healthiest states.  In general, the study found that these states have efficient public health systems and a large number of doctors compared to the population.

On the contrary, the study found that many of the Southern states ranked poorly compared to the rest of the nation.  Within the bottom ten worst ranked states, 8 were located within the South with Mississippi coming in dead last.  Factors that contributed to the low rankings included: high levels of infant mortality, smoking rates and obesity and and low number of doctors per capita.  In addition, the study found that many people living within states that received poor rankings typically had less healthcare coverage and tended to live in communities that experienced higher crime and child poverty rates.

For us Californians the news was not as bad but was still nothing the brag about, we received a modest ranking of 23… In any case, the goal — or rather intention — of the study was to provide a snapshot of the nations health and show how it varies on a state by state basis.  It also aimed to reinforce the widely held notion that many of the health problems that plague our country — and our states for that matter — are preventable; prime examples include ailments resulting from obesity and smoking.  Furthermore, an extremely important aspect of the study was the correlation between a states overall health, and other variables such as crime and child poverty rates.  This is a key feature to take into consideration; we must begin to realize that the health of our communities is dependent upon much more than the “potential” care they are able to receive. I only say “potential” because I understand that even though we may have the ability to provide health care to many of those in need, a large majority of the population is effectively left out of the system as a result of cultural, personal or financial constraints.  It seems clear — in my mind at least — that if we ever hope to create a more efficient means of delivering quality care, we must take a myriad of components into consideration. A study such as this only helps to establish an overall state of affairs, states must now use the information provided within the study to improve key health care indicators  and refine the overall quality of health care and the way it is delivered.

While many of us have probably heard of an MRI sometime throughout our life, very few may actually know what they are or really even do.  The term “MRI” is short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a technique that has been predominately used to take images of our inner bodies for medical purposes.  Due to MRI’s ability to distinguish between soft and hard tissues throughout our body, this form medical imaging has been especially useful in cases where detailed images of the neurological, musculoskeletal and/or cardiovascular systems are needed.

The technology being developed is called the “Sterotaxis Magnetic Navigation System” and essentially uses existing MRI technology combined with stem cells encased within new magnetized-nano-tubes. Within these nano-tubes, chemical agents belonging to a highly-sensitive group of contrast agents will work to provide more detailed medical images than ever before. In fact, as a result of their ultra-sensitivity, these contrast agents are able to amplify the sensitivity by 40 times that of a standard MRI. While the use of stem cells to aid damaged heart tissue has received considerable attention throughout the medical world, it has been extremely difficult to monitor the progress of the stem cells once they are in induced within body.  What is needed is a way to track and asses the progress of stem cell therapy which, thanks to this new technology, may now be possible.  With the funding made available from the grant, researches will look to further develop super-sensitive MRI contrast agents which in turn will help to improve the quality of images.  The quality of medical images can greatly influence the decisions made by physicians and it goes without saying that if we could enhance the quality of images we would ultimately improve the overall quality of care.

So congrats to the Universities for being awarded the grant. Its always nice to see money allocated to a cause that is tangible and it would be hard to argue that improving the quality of healthcare does not have enormous benefits.

As the announcement circled the globe faster than Usain Bolt around a track, political figures from both at home and abroad weighed in on the decision made by the five-member committee with mixed reactions.

Those critical of Obama’s win – which includes a host from within the Unites States  -  were quick to call the president undeserving of such a highly esteemed merit, citing the lack of his accomplishments and the GOP – for its part – even attempted to use the award to its benefit by  mocking the committee’s decision within a fundraising letter. In fact, most recently a poll running on CNN from Oct 16^th-Oct 18^th questioned 1,038 adult Americans as to whether or not they believed president Obama deserved the prize; among those who participated, 56% disapproved of his win compared to only 42% who believed he should have received it.

In addition to backlash experienced within the states, the committees decision – which has traditionally been a cause for celebration – has generated some unfavorable reactions from around the world. Pundits, including Ali Akbar Javanfekr – a close advisor to President Ahmadinejad – and Soli Ozel – a professor teaching in Istanbul – exercised cautious skepticism when considering the win as both voiced their support for Obama’s visions and aspirations, but also noted that he has yet to achieve any substantial progress relating to peace on a global scale.  Gabriela Ramirez – the leading human rights official within Venezuela – was not as cordial in her response to the news as she claimed that bestowing the award to Obama was a “mockery of human rights”. Furthermore, in what was perhaps the strongest rhetoric, Erling Borgen – a Norwegian journalist and champion of human rights – argued that by wining the prize, Obama has devalued the luster that had once accompanied the prestigious award.

While it is clear that many consider the award to be a farce, not everyone is against the decision made by the committee. Two prior recipients and a handful of other world leaders have shown support for Obama’s win. Al Gore and former President Jimmy Carter – both of which have previously won the prize – as well as World leaders including Nicolas Sarkozy, Shimon Peres and Nelson Mandela have all praised Obama’s win.

Yet, although he has received some note-worthy support from a handful of influential individuals, a question endures in the minds of critics: what has president Obama actually accomplished to deserve such a prestigious award…? Before continuing, I feel that it is important to examine the true definition of the Nobel Peace Prize.  An excerpt taken from the will of Alfred Nobel states that the award should be granted, “To the person who shall have done the most or do the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

Clearly, this definition is open to a broad range of interpretations but has Obama accomplished anything to fit the description left to us by the late Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Committee stated that Obama was awarded the prize due to his “Extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. And yet, submissions for the prize had to be postmarked no later than February 1^st at which time Obama had only been in office for 12 days! I understand that he is talented, but what the president could have possibly accomplished within a mere 12 days to warrant such an award is beyond me, however, the committee has defended its decision saying, “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future”. Moreover, the “Oslo five” – as they have come to be known – have also responded to the popular contention that the award was given prematurely. In a released statement, the committee justified their actions and explained that they wanted to promote the young President in his endeavors as they had previously done in the case of Mikhail Gorbachev as he fought to end the Cold War.

Okay…I can follow the logic behind Gorbachev but bestowing an award on the grounds of peace to the Commander-in-chief of a nation that is currently at war in both Iraq and Afghanistan seems a bit contradictory.  Yes, I know that we are moving towards an eventual troop withdrawal in Iraq but at the same time, more troops will soon be deployed to Afghanistan. Therefore, we cannot wholeheartedly say that he has succeeded in reducing the overall amount of our standing armies at war.

On the other hand – even though it was not within the Prize’s submission date – President Obama has gained some ground with respect to the promotion of fraternity between nations and the holding/promoting of peace congresses. And despite the fact that they have yet to yield much progress, as previously mentioned, President Obama has been working to revive US relations around the world and primarily within the Middle East where our foreign policy is viewed as extremely unilateral.  Steps taken in the right direction have included: measures to shut down the highly controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay, the renewal of talks between Israel and Palestine and bringing Iran back to table to talk about their nuclear ambitions. In addition, Obama also met with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in July and both parties agreed to work on reducing the number of vehicles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead as well as reducing the total amount of nuclear warheads that each country stores.  While it remains be seen when both parties will begin the actual reduction of arms, proposals of this nature could be viewed as a early indication that president Obama is committed towards two major goals in the name of peace – nuclear non-proliferation and the revitalization of US relations around the world.

While one cannot ignore the potential of these initiatives, I agree with critics that awarding President Obama with the Nobel Peace Prize was a bit premature.  I will not go as far as to say it was completely ludicrous, I just feel as though his goals have yet to come to fruition and the committee should have waited for things to pan out.  I can understand that the committee wanted to encourage the young President to continue with the steps he has taken towards peace on a global context, I just feel that we are still very early in his tenure as President and that he was awarded for his ideas and visions rather than his actual accomplishments and merits.

In any case, it seems as though time will undoubtedly be the deciding factor in regarding the justification of President Obama’s win; only once years have passed will we truly be able to reflect upon the President’s tenure, and his contributions towards the promotion of peace.

Lastly, while I may agree with critics that the award was given prematurely, I sincerely hope that being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize will inspire President Obama to continue with the measures he has taken thus far towards renewing the relations of United States with that of the rest of the world.  Regardless of what transpires, Obama has already been added to a list filled with highly acclaimed individuals; all that remains, is to see is how he compares with his peers.

At the heart of the trials, which are focused around patients suffering from dementia as a result of Alzheimer’s disease, is the drug Cere-110. Researchers involved with the trials are hoping that Cere-110 will help slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease throughout the brain. Cere-110 is surgically implemented into an area of the brain that is being affected by Alzheimer’s disease.  Once implanted, a gene within Cere-110 will direct the brain to create a specific protein which helps to maintain nerve cells health and function.

The trials will include 50 people who are currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and will only allow those with a “mild form” to participate.  Patients will be evaluated to ensure that they are competent to consent before participating.  The trials will be structured as a phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Thats a mouthful. so lets break it down a little.

Phase II- refers to the clinical trial which the drug is in.  During phase II the drug is studied on a larger population and to better understand how safe and beneficial it really is.

Double Blind- A parameter within the study, means that patients as well as coordinators and physicians will not know who within the population received the drug.

Placebo- All patients will undergo surgery but only a random number will be given the drug.

This Study is the first of its kind and has the potential to produce some major breakthroughs in terms of our understanding of the Alzheimer’s disease.  Within the United States alone there are 5.2 million people suffering from the disease and no cure is currently available. While Cere-110 is still clinically young and must clear other trials.  I believe it is important to engage in studies that push our understanding to the next level.  With that being said, I found method of implementation for Cere-110 to be fascinating. Due to the fact that it is surgically implanted into parts of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s, the drug will be able to operate locally to stop the spread of the disease.  Although I am in no way, shape or form, a doctor.  I feel that administering a drug to the center of the problem could have some benefits.  Either way, I wish the researchers and the patients the best of luck and i will continue to bring updates about this study as soon as they are available.