MUST READS

A July 26, 2018 Science article reported on the results announced yesterday about the BAN2401 Alzheimer’s disease drug trial from drugmakers Biogen and Eisai. The optimism is tempered with caution. According to the article, “Yesterday the companies presented a series of other analyses from the same trial that suggest BAN2401 might slow the pace of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, and reverse the buildup of a brain protein thought to drive the disease’s neurodegeneration. But the subset of patients who showed those benefits was relatively small—161 people—and an unexpected change to the way the study was randomized cast some skepticism on the results. For many, the findings are too preliminary to celebrate.” Also covered by ABC News, Everyday Health, WHNT 19 Newsand others.

A July 26, 2018 Los Angeles Times article looked at the trend toward precision medicine, treating illness with targeted therapies, and utilizing experimental therapies to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. According to the article, “In a first-ever bid to apply the principles of precision medicine to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers also reported this week on a small study of Alzheimer’s patients who bear a few “actionable genetic variants.” In these patients, they found, Anavex 2-73 appeared to slow and perhaps even reverse early cognitive decline. The new findings emerged from a clinical trial designed to test the safety of Anavex 2-73, and it involved just 32 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. So it’s far too early to tout the success of this experimental drug.”

A July 25, 2018 Forbes article highlighted the work of Dr. Rudolph Tanzi exploring the link between microbes (bacteria, viruses and fungus) and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at his lab at Massachusetts General Hospital are mapping the microbiome of the brain on samples that tested positive for Alzheimer’s disease pathology. “If the amyloid has the ability to be anti-microbial, then what microbes in the brain are triggering the plaques?” mused Tanzi.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A July 26, 2018 The Japan Times article spotlighted a study from Canada utilizing focused ultrasound (sound waves) on people with Alzheimer’s disease, to create temporary holes in the blood-brain barrier which could allow in treatments, including AD drugs. Most treatments for brain diseases are too big to easily pass through the barrier. Several studies are underway using this technology. According to Dr. Nir Lipsman from Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, “It’s been a major goal of neuroscience for decades, this idea of a safe and reversible and precise way of breaching the blood-brain barrier. It’s exciting.”

A July 25, 2018 EurekAlert! release highlighted a new study from Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia showing that meningeal lymphatic vessels in the brain play an essential role in maintaining a healthy homeostasis in aging brains, and could be a new target for treating neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. The vessels drain fluid from the central nervous system into the cervical lymph nodes, and drainage dysfunction aggravates cognitive decline and AD. "As you age, the fluid movement in your brain slows, sometimes to a pace that's half of what it was when you were younger. We discovered that the proteins responsible for Alzheimer's actually do get drained through these lymphatic vessels in the brain along with other cellular debris, so any decrease in flow is going to affect that protein build-up,” said study co-author Jennifer Munson.

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

The TRAILBLAZER-ALZ research study is looking at two investigational drugs for people having problems with memory loss or confusion. If you are worried that your memory loss is more than just ordinary forgetfulness, or have a diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, you may be eligible for the Study. Study inclusion criteria include being between 60–85 years old, having memory loss for six months or more that worsens over time, and having a family member or close friend who is with you at least 10 hours a week and can attend study appointments.

CAREGIVING CORNER

In a Being Patient Voices blog post, Jamie Scudder, a nursing assistant working with dementia patients, whose own father passed away from Lewy body dementia (LBD), offers strategies for caregivers to help their loved one with dementia feel more comfortable. LBD patients are aware that they’re losing their memory. According to Scudder, “If your loved one has LBD, it’s important to be honest with them about their condition and to reassure your loved one that they’re not alone and that you understand that what they’re going through is scary.”