March 11, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Upcoming Event: On March 12, Dr. Newport, along with USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute Assistant Director for Clinical Research Jill Smith, will be joining our March Alzheimer’s Talks to discuss the trial. The USF study examines whether ketone bodies, a substance produced when the body breaks down coconut oil, can improve memory in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Sign up here. 

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) will honor USA2 board member Meryl Comer with the Great Ladies Award at their Fifth Annual Great Ladies Luncheon and Fashion Show on April 15th. Congrats Meryl! 


MUST READ AND WATCH

A March 10, 2015 BBC News article and video profiled Chris Graham and his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s at 39. According to the article, “He inherited an extremely rare form of the condition from his father who died when he was aged just 42. His brother Tony, who is four years older, is also affected and now needs round-the-clock care - he is tube-fed and unable to speak. Chris - who had to leave the Army on medical grounds in January - is already suffering memory problems. He told me: "Alarm bells rang for me when Tony fell ill, so I had a blood test and it confirmed I have a gene which triggers early onset Alzheimer's disease. "It was quite a shock, but I had guessed that I was affected, because I do forget things.””


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

A March 11, 2015 Executive Gov article highlighted the launch of a big data portal for the sharing and analysis of research on Alzheimer’s disease made possible by a partnership between the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and private-sector partners. According to the article, “The launch also includes the availability of the first wave of biomedical data that NIH said will facilitate the creation of predictive models for the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Sage Bionetworks developed the portal in support of the five-year AMP-AD Target Discovery and Preclinical Validation Project and will contribute in the analysis of data sets provided by researchers from several academic institutions across the U.S., which NIH’s National Institute on Aging will coordinate. “The era of Big Data and open science can be a game-changer in our ability to choose therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s that may lead to effective therapies tailored to diverse patients,” said Suzana Petanceska, NIA program director for the AMP-AD project.”

A March 11, 2014 Mirror article (UK) outlined issues with the accuracy of Alzheimer’s blood tests and utilized graphics to demonstrate flaws in the accuracy of these tests. According to the article, “If you test positive there’s only an 8% chance you will develop Alzheimer’s within three years. If this test was a real screening technique used by the NHS, nine out of the ten people told they had tested positive for Alzheimer’s within three years would not get the disease. That might mean unnecessary distress for the individual and their family and unneeded treatment.”

A March 10, 2015 Dallas Morning News article reported that the Presbyterian Village North Foundation has given $1.25 million toward Alzheimer’s research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. According to the article, “The donation includes $1 million to the Southwestern Medical Foundation to establish the Presbyterian Village North Foundation Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutic Research. The rest of the gift will go to support the work of Dr. Roger Rosenberg.”

A March 10, 2015 The Free Press Journal article reported that “a new study has shed light on Viagra observing that Viagra can have anti-cancer, antibacterial, and therapeutic effects if used with new drugs.” According to the article, “The study has shown that how existing drugs such as Viagra or Cialis and a derivative of the drug Celebrex, for example, can reduce the activity of a specific chaperone protein, with the potential for anti-tumor and anti-Alzheimer’s disease effects.”