MUST READS AND WATCH

Must Watch: An April 24, 2015 Fortune video segment highlighted the business sector’s race to cure Alzheimer’s. According to the description, “Pharmaceutical companies see great promise in treatment for the disease. Fortune’s Leigh Gallagher, Andrew Nusca, Erin Griffith, and Brian O’Keefe discuss.”

An April 27, 2015 The Wall Street Journal article profiled Roche’s drug trial in Colombia focused on an extended family with early onset Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The study, funded by Roche’s U.S. unit, Genentech, along with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and an arm of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, is one the drug industry’s last big attempts to test a long-held theory: that a buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain is the main cause of Alzheimer’s. The hope is that Roche’s drug can block or slow the process of amyloid formation, or the chain of events that triggers it…The idea for the large, ambitious trial was hatched thanks to the works of Colombian Francisco Lopera, a 63-year-old neurologist at the University of Antioquia who has for 30 years sought to unravel the mysteries of this aggressive form of Alzheimer’s, which crops up frequently in this pocket of the country. After treating a perplexing case in 1984 of a 47-year-old man with extreme dementia, Dr. Lopera began the painstaking—and often heartbreaking—quest to find others afflicted with similar symptoms. He has spent years compiling a database of 4,300 people from families genetically at risk for the disease—with he and researchers going on foot or having people come by horseback from remote towns to Medellin in order to register. He also began the sensitive work of securing brain donations from families of patients with neurological disease. His collection today stands at nearly 250. They are kept frozen in the university’s “brain bank” for study.”

An April 26, 2015 Reuters article reported that “scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say declining government spending on basic research is holding back potentially life-saving advances in 15 fields, from robotics and fusion energy to Alzheimer's disease and agriculture.” According to the article, “Science funding is 'the lowest it has been since the Second World War as a fraction of the federal budget,' said MIT physicist Marc Kastner, who led the committee that wrote "The Future Postponed" report, issued on Monday. 'This really threatens America's future.' The report lands at a time when federal spending on research has become unusually politicized.” Read the full report here and a case study on Alzheimer’s here.

BRAIN HEALTH

An April 27, 2015 Sun Sentinel Dear Pharmacist article informed readers that green apples are good for brain health. According to the article, “Green apples are rich in a bioflavonoid called quercetin, which is a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory…In the study, a group of animals received natural quercetin each day, while others were given a dose of the famous Alzheimer's medication, Aricept. The animals treated with the most quercetin had the most positive benefits. These mice had fewer problems learning tasks and better memory. There was significant reduction in the amyloid plaque buildup, too. Their mitochondrial function was evaluated, and it had improved. There was improved health and function of the mitochondria deep inside the hippocampus, which is the memory center in the brain.”

SOCIETY 

An April 24, 2015 Big Think article reported that Alzheimer’s is on the rise as marriage rates fall and discussed the implications of these trends overlapping. According to the article, “A couple days ago, Dr. Volandes penned a piece for Psychology Today about a unique issue I hadn't thought much about before. At the crux of this issue are two separate statistical trends. First, every 67 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer's disease. This rate is only going to climb in coming years as the baby boomers continue to age. Volandes suggests we may very well be heading toward an Alzheimer's epidemic…Volandes' concern is that we're going to see a major uptick in the number of elderly people with dementia who have no immediate family members to care or make medical decisions for them. He already sees this issue arising with his own patients. Sooner or later, the doctors are forced to make decisions that would (and should) be made by the patient and their family.”

An April 24, 2015 The New York Times article reported that “the ability to perform simple math problems, as well as handling financial matters, are typically one of the first set of skills to decline in diseases of the mind, like Alzheimer’s.” According to the article, “The issue looms large, particularly as the number of older people continues to rapidly expand: There are 44.7 million people 65 and older, representing 14 percent of the population, according to the most recent census data, but, within 10 years, they will swell to an estimated 66 million. This group collectively holds trillions of dollars in wealth, but are often left to manage their own finances, even as they become increasingly vulnerable. About half of adults in their 80s either have dementia, or at least some cognitive impairment without dementia, researchers said…While many people continue to handle their finances with ease well into their later years, even people with healthy brains tend to experience cognitive decline. According to one study, which analyzed participants’ propensity to make financial mistakes, a person’s financial decision-making ability peaks at age 53, or, more generally, in their 50s. This is the sweet spot, the paper said, because they have substantial amounts of experience but they have had only modest declines in their ability to solve new problems.”

INDUSTRY UPDATE

An April 24, 2015 Fierce Biotech article reported that Biogen “has mapped out a big late-stage program for its Alzheimer's disease treatment.” According to the article, “In the second half of 2015, the Big Biotech is planning to launch two 18-month studies on roughly 1,350 patients each, taking a page from its Phase I success and targeting Alzheimer's sufferers with early-stage disease. In the next few months, Biogen expects to get final signoff from the FDA on its trial design, clearing the way for recruitment. The company won't divulge much detail until then, R&D chief Doug Williams said on a call with analysts, but the company is broadly looking to replicate the treatment effect it found in Phase I.”