November 20, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Researchers use stem cells to unlock Alzheimer's mysteries, the need to support Alzheimer's caregivers, and the role of public-private partnerships to take on ebola and Alzheimer's (read more). 
 

Must reads

  • A November 20, 2014 Health Canal article reported on the use of stem cell technology to unlock mysteries with Alzheimer's. According to the article, "Professor Garner and his team are poised to isolate and characterise the enzyme that splits the protein ‘apoE’, which is encoded by the main risk gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s, into tiny fragments within the brain. “Understanding how this gene controls Alzheimer’s risk will resolve a major unsolved question in the field and could reveal a new therapeutic avenue,” Professor Garner said. The characterisation of apoE has previously been too difficult due to the complexity of brain tissue. However, as a result of a new collaboration with neuroscientist and stem cell expert Dr Lezanne Ooi, also based at IHMRI, the researchers have discovered a new way to model the enzyme split in the dish."
  • A November 19, 2014 Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Mary McDaniel Cail underscored the need to support Alzheimer's caregivers. According to Cail, "And the work can also be heartbreaking. Some 15 million caretakers are dealing with loved ones with Alzheimer's disease, which has been described as an invisible illness because its sufferers can appear quite normal even after calamitous changes have occurred in the brain. From mid-stage on, though, they start forgetting not only what just happened and where they are, but also how to look after themselves. The caregiver eventually has to take over the daily rituals of bathing, buttoning, hair-combing and the like, sometimes in the face of resistance and outright hostility from someone who no longer recognizes the caregiver as a loving spouse, partner, adult child or sibling. Friends who don't live with this kind of challenge can be put off by it. Although it's easy to smile indulgently at the funny speech and mismatched clothing of a toddler, these things seem strange in someone who's 70. But here's something to keep in mind: There's a strong likelihood that one day you'll either have the disease yourself or someone you love will, so it's worth trying to overcome your discomfort. About half of all people who live to 85 have symptomatic dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Assn. One good way to start feeling comfortable around such people is to offer support to friends or family members who are caring for them."
  • A November 19, 2014 USA Today opinion piece by Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach called for public-private partnerships to tackle public health threats like ebola and Alzheimer's. According to Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, "The net effect of a nimble partnership is that we could afford to invest in more products and technologies with a much greater likelihood of success, protecting us from biologic threats while also developing better standards for drug development that could benefit patients everywhere. Thankfully, there's already a bipartisan initiative in Congress – the 21st Century Cures Initiative, led by Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton and Colorado Democrat Rep. Diana DeGette -- looking at ways to bring America's drug discovery, development, and delivery framework into the 21st century. Their efforts could pay huge dividends for the fight not only against Ebola, but also for cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases that threaten us. We have the tools, the technology, the knowhow and the political will to win this fight." Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach is chairman of the Manhattan Institute's Project FDA, and former commissioner of the FDA from 2006 to 2009. Paul Howard is director of the institute's Center for Medical Progress.