"Valley of Death"

Many Parkinson's, Alzheimer's patients caught in "valley of death."
Dave Iverson, writing for PBS NewsHour (9/24), said, "I first heard about the problem known as the 'valley of death' from...the actor and philanthropist Michael J. Fox. The valley of death is the gap that sometimes exists between the world of pure science and the world of creating new treatments for a variety of diseases. Fox said patients inhabit the middle ground and are often overlooked in the search for treatments." Notably, NIH director Francis Collins "has voiced strong interest in narrowing the gap between what goes on in the lab and what patients need." Still, "bridging the valley of death will not bring about instant cures," because "conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis are hugely complicated." Nevertheless, "recognizing this complexity is important for both patients and the news media."