Penn Medicine Scientists Kick-off Preview of HBO Documentary Films' THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT on May 4th

Penn Medicine Scientists Kick-off Preview of HBO Documentary Films' THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT on May 4th

A Pioneering Multi-Part, Multi-Platform Series Bringing New Understanding and Hope for Millions and Revealing Human Faces Behind the Disease

Maria Shriver Executive Produces With HBO's Award-Winning "Addiction" Team

WHO: HBO, The Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Alzheimer's Disease Center and Institute on Aging will host an invitation-only preview of HBO documentary Films, "THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT," debuting on HBO May 10. The event will feature a screening of one segment of this multi-platform series, which takes a close look at the groundbreaking discoveries made by the country's leading scientists as well as the effects of this debilitating and fatal disease both on those with Alzheimer's and on their families. Renowned local scientists featured in the project will be in attendance:

             John Q. Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D.             William Maul Measey-Truman G. Schnabel, Jr., M.D. Professor of             Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology; Director, Institute on             Aging; Director, Alzheimer's Disease Core Center; Professor,             Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Pennsylvania             School of Medicine              Virginia M.-Y. Lee, Ph.D., MBA             The John H. Ware 3rd Professor in Alzheimer's Research;             Director, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and             Marian S. Ware Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Program; Professor,             Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Pennsylvania             School of Medicine              Gerard Schellenberg, Ph.D.             Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of             Pennsylvania School of Medicine   

WHAT: One of the most devastating forms of memory loss is Alzheimer's disease, an irreversible and progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Today, Alzheimer's is the second most-feared illness in America, following cancer, and may affect as many as five million Americans. As the baby-boom generation reaches retirement, that number could soar to more than 11 million by 2040 and have a huge economic impact on America's already fragile healthcare system. While there is no cure for the disease, THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT shows there is now genuine reason to be optimistic about the future. Scientific research is gaining momentum in discovering ways to treat and possibly prevent this devastating brain disease.

Aiming to bring a new understanding, THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT features a four-part documentary series, 15 short supplemental films, a robust website and a nationwide community-based information and outreach campaign. A book published by Public Affairs Books was developed by the producers as a companion to the project.

THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT is a presentation of HBO Documentary Films and the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health in association with the Alzheimer's Association(R), Fidelity(R) Charitable Gift Fund and Geoffrey Beene Gives Back(R) Alzheimer's Initiative. The series producer is John Hoffman; the executive producers are Sheila Nevins and Maria Shriver.

   WHERE:    Biomedical Research Building Auditorium             at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine             421 Curie Blvd.             Philadelphia, PA 19104    WHEN:     Monday, May 4, 2009             6:00 pm Reception  7:00 pm Screening    MEDIA RSVP TO ATTEND THE EVENT OR INTERVIEWS:  

Chris Murray, GaileyMurray Communications, 610-864-9123, cmurray@gaileymurray.com or Jana Madarash, HBO, 212-512-1681, Jana.Madarash@hbo.com

/PRNewswire -- April 24/

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Source: HBO

Web Site: http://www.hbo.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment