University of Kansas researchers urge state funding to scale faster Alzheimer’s diagnosis and care

Dr. Jeffrey Burns, co‑director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, told the House Committee on Health and Human Services that recent advances — including FDA‑cleared blood biomarkers and two newly approved therapies — create an opportunity to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease far earlier and treat patients more effectively.

Burns said diagnosis in Kansas currently takes an average of about 3½ years, a delay he described as avoidable. "We can package [an assessment] up in a two‑hour visit," Burns told the committee, adding that primary care clinicians can perform the standardized testing needed to identify people who would benefit from treatment and specialist consultation.

The doctor described his center’s cognitive care network of more than 120 primary‑care clinicians and the LEAP (Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer’s Prevention) program, and asked…