The U.S. Postal Service plans to raise money for Alzheimer's research.

Alzheimer's stamp

The federal agency announced a new stamp Thursday to raise money to fight the fatal disease that affects nearly 6 million Americans. The stamp, modeled after an Alzheimer's awareness stamp in 2008, depicts the profile of an older woman, head down, with a caring hand on her shoulder.

It will cost 60 cents compared to the usual 49 cents. The difference, minus costs incurred by the U.S. Postal Service, will go to the National Institutes of Health.

Alzheimer's disease is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. There's no cure or medication that slows progression of the disease.

It will go on sale Nov. 30 and will be available for a maximum of two years.

The stamp is the first of five fundraising stamps to be issued over 10 years. The next one, issued in 2019, will be dedicated to post-traumatic stress disorder. The three others have yet to be determined.

Stamps can be an effective way to raise money for scientific research. A breast cancer stamp, currently on the market, has raised more than $86 million.

-- Lynne Terry