A VERY BIG
SCHOLARSHIP FOR HIS OUTSTANDING
RESEARCH INTO
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
ALEXANDER KIROV'S PROJECT IN THE
SIEMENS
FOUNDATION NATIONAL COMPETITION
FOCUSED ON
THE TRIGGERS OF ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE, AT THE CELLULAR
LEVEL, WHICH LEAD TO THINKING,
MEMORY AND
BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS.... AND
ULTIMATELY DEATH.
WHY ONE OF THE JUDGES SAYS THIS
TEENAGER'S
RESEARCH COULD POTENTIALLY
--PREVENT--
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, IN THIS
NEWSCHANNEL 6 SPECIAL
REPORT.
:32
:50
1:40
1:45
DR. BIEBERICH: "YOU KNOW, WHAT
ALEXANDER DID WAS ONE STEP AND
THERE ARE MANY SCIENTISTS DOING
SIMILAR THINGS, AND IF WE ALL
WORK TOGETHER WITH
THE GOAL OF ELIMINATING THIS
DISEASE, AT SOME POINT WE WILL
REACH
THAT GOAL."
AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING. ONE IN
9 PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 IS AFFECTED
WITH
ALZHEIMER'S AND NEARLY 2/3 OF
AMERICANS WITH IT ARE WOMEN.
GREENBRIER HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR,
ALEXANDER KIROV, COULD BE THE
PERSON WHO UNLOCKS THE KEY TO
CURING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
HE RECENTLY WON A $40,000 IN THE
SIEMENS COMPETITION,
COMING IN THIRD OUT OF SOME
2,000 STUDENTS IN THE
FOUNDATION'S
ANNUAL SCIENCE COMPETITION.
ALEXANDER: "IT WAS DEFINITELY A
ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE,
THE
SIEMENS COMPETITION WAS, AND IT
REALLY WENT IN STAGES. EVERY
NEXT
STEP WAS SUCH A THRILL TO
ACCOMPLISH, LIKE GOING OVER
ANOTHER HURDLE.
VERY ROUGH REGIONAL JUDGING HERE
AT GA TECH, IT WAS VERY WELL
DONE
AND CHALLENGING."
HE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE
NATIONAL FINALS! "HOSTED BY
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY,
THE DISCOVERY
EDUCATION FOUND GREAT JUDGES AND
EVERYBODY WAS FOCUSED ON MAKING
IT A GOOD, FAIR EXPERIENCE. I
MET SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY. IT WAS JUST
SO INTERESTING TALKING WITH
PEOPLE WHO
SHARE YOUR PASSION FOR DISCOVERY
AND HEAR ABOUT THEIR RESEARCH."
BUT DON'T THINK THIS IS JUST
SOME AMPPED UP SCIENCE FAIR--
THE
FOCUS HERE IS ON THE SCIENCE.
AND THE RESEARCH, AT LEAST IN
ALEXANDER'S
CASE, IS HELPING UNLOCK
MYSTERIES.
DR. BIEBERICH: "HE TAUGHT US A
LOT OF THINGS, HE REVOLUTIONIZED
ONE
OF THE WAYS WE QUANTIFY THE
DAMAGE THAT IS DONE DURING
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE."
ALEXANDER'S MENTOR, DR. ERHARD
BIEBERICH, IS HIMSELF A STAR IN
THE FIELD OF ALZHEIMER'S
RESEARCH.
"AND HE WILL HAVE HIS PLACE AS
AN AUTHOR ON A PAPER THAT WE
WILL PUBLISH
ON THIS."
PUBLISHED, AS A HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENT!
DR. BIEBERICH: "YES, DOESN'T
MATTER, HE HAS A GREAT BRAIN."
AS FOR THE FUTURE?
ALEXANDER: "I HAVE A GOAL OF
BEING A CLINICIAN SCIENTIST,
HAVING MY OWN
RESEARCH, JUST LIKE MY MENTOR,
DR. BIEBERICH, WHILE ALSO BEING
ABLE TO
SEE PATIENTS AND DIRECT
APPLICATION TO RESEARCH. THERE'S
SO MANY
OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
BUT FOR NOW, FOR THE NEAR
FUTURE, I DEFINITELY WANT TO
STAY FOCUSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE JUST BECAUSE I HAVE VERY
GOOD EXPERIENCE IN IT." DR.
BIEBERICH: "I'M VERY PROUD AND
I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT HE
ACHIEVED WHAT
HE COULD ACHIEVE- WHENEVER HE
WANTS TO COME BACK IN TO THE LAB
I HAVE A PLACE FOR HIM."
MORE THAN 5 MILLION AMERICANS
HAVE
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE NOW, AND IN
LESS THAN A DECADE
EXPECT TO SEE A 40% INCREASE IN
ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS. ALSX
SAYX HE BELIEVES HIS WORK HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO SCIENTIFIC
KNOWLEDGE BY PINPOINTING A PLACE
WHERE
PROGRESSION OF THE DISEASE CAN
BE INTERRUPTED.
CLINICAL TRIALS ARE UNDERWAY AT
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY TO TREAT
EPILEPSY.
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