Dementia is among the most difficult health issues that we face as a society, devastating to those affected as well as their friends and families. It touches virtually all of us in some way (my mother and maternal grandmother were both tragic victims). In addition to the extremely high physical and emotional toll it takes, which is by far its most compelling impact, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias involve very high economic costs. The proposed Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), which voters will have an opportunity to approve the funding for in November, can play a vital role in finding solutions.

Dementia is an umbrella term for disorders that impact memory, thinking, and behavior, with Alzheimer's disease being the most well-known. These conditions are a leading cause of disability, the second leading cause of death worldwide, and a major factor in rising healthcare expense. As many as 500,000 Texans suffer from some form of dementia.

DPRIT is structured much like the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), which has been highly successful in bringing top cancer researchers and physicians to the state. Such research entities also generate substantial economic benefits through ongoing operations, commercialization of findings, and improvements in outcomes.

We have been measuring the benefits of CPRIT for years, and have consistently found that, when accounting for initial outlays as well as secondary effects, every dollar invested through CPRIT returns almost $8 in State and local taxes. The benefits in improving cancer outcomes are, of course, beyond price.

DPRIT has the potential to similarly become a catalyst for new discoveries as well as an investment in State funds that more than pays for itself. For context, severe mental health and substance abuse disorders are even more costly than cancer. When you consider direct and downstream costs (health outlays, comorbidities, associated disabilities, lost productivity and wages, homelessness, incarceration, premature mortality, and related dynamic effects), our recent analysis indicates severe mental health and substance abuse issues cost the Texas economy $209.2 billion in output (gross product) each year and more than 1.8 million jobs.

With DPRIT, dementia research can be accelerated through funding early-stage, innovative biomedical and neurology-related science at eligible institutions. It is likely that findings will also foster progress for other mental health issues. DPRIT can speed commercialization of dementia research through providing resources for technologies and programs with the greatest potential for commercialization (and, therefore, societal impact).

Texas has recently been experiencing growth in life sciences at a pace far exceeding the remainder of the US, leading to myriad economic gains and opportunities. DPRIT can enhance this momentum while simultaneously helping reduce the tragically high human and economic cost of dementia. Stay safe!