ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
The lifelong partnership between two scientists who discover a rare genetic mutation afflicting hundreds of members of a single family and their search to unlock the mystery behind Alzheimer’s disease.

SYNOPSIS
The Venegas sisters are fulfilling a lifelong dream to collaborate on a documentary film project. Marisa Venegas is a four-time Emmy award-winning producer and filmmaker. Cristina Venegas is a professor of film and media at the University of California Santa Barbara focused on Latin America, and an award-winning author. MAPPING ALZHEIMER’S: A JOURNEY OF FRIENDSHIP & DISCOVERY is about a 30-year collaboration between two brilliant neuroscientists. Doctors Francisco Lopera at the University of Antioquia in Medellin and Kenneth Kosik at UC Santa Barbara are determined to decipher a genetic puzzle in Colombia that has global implications.

In 1984, Dr. Lopera examined a 47-year-old man with cognitive deficits whose father, grandfather, and other relatives had died of what appeared to be the same illness. In each case, the pattern was the same: subtle cognitive impairment at age 28 leading to full-blown dementia by 49.

Learning of Dr. Lopera’s research in 1992, Dr. Kosik traveled to Medellin to meet him and offered to help identify the gene responsible for this tragic condition.

Since then, the team has identified several mutations including the E280A, a form of early-onset familial Alzheimer’s, which they believe can be traced to a common ancestor from Spain, possibly one of the conquistadors who colonized Colombia. Subsequently, they have found multiple mutations of the same gene with diverse geographic and ethnic origins.

A staggering 50 million people worldwide are currently afflicted with the disease, and with no cure in sight. That number is projected to triple by 2050. Much of the increase is occurring in the developing world. Hispanics and African Americans have a disproportionate risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for reasons that are not well understood. Despite this, both groups are less likely to participate in clinical studies and are underrepresented in research. Our film showcases a remarkable exception.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Marisa Venegas
PRODUCER Marisa Venegas, Cristina Venegas
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Marisa Venegas, Cristina Venegas, Andrea Eisen, Caroline Slade

WEBSITE mappingalzheimersfilm.com