Roskamp Institute in Manatee invites veterans to open house on health issues
MANATEE -- The Roskamp Institute's second open house for veterans from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday will showcase research it is doing on traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and Gulf War illness.
Roskamp is inviting veterans to tour its facility at 2040 Whitfield Ave. to learn about its programs and perhaps become a program participant.
"Our veterans programs have been expanding significantly, We have a lot more patients coming to the clinic who are suffering from issues of specific interest to veterans," Fiona Crawford, president and CEO of Roskamp Institute, said in a press release. "We want all veterans to know there is hope and that we are working day and night to find effective therapies and get them into the clinic."
Laila Abdullah and Tanja Emmerich are two Roskamp research scientists working on Gulf War illness, which afflicts several hundred thousand veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.
Roskamp researchers are looking at markers in lipids, molecules in the blood, for biomarkers that may offer clues for treating the affliction, Abdullah said.
Gulf War illness symptoms include pain, headache, fatigue, breathing difficulty and memory or thinking problems, according to a Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses.
Researchers hope to find veterans who have traumatic brain injuries, PTSD or Gulf War illnesses, as well as healthy veterans, to give blood samples, said Brian Roskamp, communications officer.
"The veterans coming to us have conditions they haven't been able to overcome," Roskamp said.
Roskamp experts will offer progress on each of three main veterans research programs at the open house. A free lunch donated by Brookdale Deer Creek Sarasota Senior Living Solution will be served from 12:30-2 p.m.
"Hopefully, we have some exciting news we can present at the open house," Abdullah said.
Roskamp, best known for its research into Alzheimer's disease, began researching traumatic brain injury because of the link between the two. Sustaining TBI increases the risk of Alzheimer's. Roskamp then began taking a look at other neuropsychological and neurodegenerative health issues faced by veterans.
Family members of veterans and others interested in Roskamp's research are invited to the open house.
James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter@jajones1.
This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Roskamp Institute in Manatee invites veterans to open house on health issues ."