MUST READS

A June 10, 2015 The Conversation article (UK) highlighted three barriers that need to be addressed before a cure for Alzheimer’s is found, including research funding. According to the article, “The lack of treatments, devastating impact and economic burden that dementia places on society makes developing effective treatments one of our most urgent unmet clinical needs. There are often sensationalised reports in the media claiming that we have discovered a cure for dementia, but why have these discoveries not led to an actual benefit for patients?…The economic cost of Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia is higher than that of cancer, in the UK it is thought to cost cost the UK economy about £26 billion a year, around £10 billion more than cancer. However ten times less money is spent researching dementia than cancer. The prime minister committed to doubling funding for dementia research by 2025. Although this still leaves dementia significantly behind, increasing funding – and therefore the number of scientists working in this area – will help to improve our understanding of dementia and will enable earlier diagnosis and better modelling of Alzheimer’s disease in the lab. A new drug called Aducanumab is showing promising signs in early human trials. Lets hope for more.”

A June 10, 2015 The Guardian article profiled one caregiver’s decision to leave her job to care for her mother with Alzheimer’s. According to Ignatius, “We didn’t want to consider another care home as we felt so let down. They keep residents fed, clean and had some activities during the week, but there’s much more to actually caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. So I decided to quit my job and care for my mum full time…In an ideal world I’d love to see one-to-one care being given to all Alzheimer’s patients either in care homes or in their own home. People such as my mum still have so much of their life to enjoy – they are still so young. This would also give peace of mind to the families and allow them to live their life without fear – fear of their loved one disappearing more quickly than they already are, because of heavy sedation.”

A June 9, 2015 Times-Union editorial underscored the need for the nation to “step up” the fight against Alzheimer’s. According to the editorial board, “Perhaps the most frightening statistic is that every 67 seconds, another American develops the disease. That means in the time it’s taken you to read this editorial, it will have claimed another victim. Despite its prevalence, despite its drain on the economy and despite its looming menace, the funding for research into the disease is woefully inadequate…Advocates for research, however, estimate that some $2 billion per year is needed to be spent on research to meet a federal goal of finding a treatment for the disease by 2025. We must meet that goal. Finding a treatment — or even better, a cure — for Alzheimer’s disease should be a top national priority.”

POLITICS AND POLICY  

A June 10, 2015 The Charlotte Observer article reported that Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) is proposing a $1 billion prize aimed at curing Alzheimer’s as part of the GOP’s Obamacare alternative health plan. According to the article, “Pittenger says he also hopes the latest plan will get some juice from the addition of a $15 billion, eight-year medical breakthrough fund to encourage research into heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. Included in that is the billion-dollar Alzheimer’s prize, pattered on the Xprize for innovative technology, a summary of the act says. The prize “will use free-market principles to spur private investment into finding a cure or vaccine for a disease that is projected to cost Medicare and Medicaid more than $500 billion per year within the next three decades.””

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY  

A June 9, 2015 Medical News Today article reported that a new study finds that “medication taken by patients who have had organ transplants to prevent organ rejection could also protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease.” According to the article, “Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston analyzed the medical records of patients who received organ transplants, for whom any evidence of cognitive impairment or dementia is recorded and monitored…Of the 2,644 patients, eight exhibited signs of dementia. Two were younger than 65, five were aged from 65-74 and one was aged between 75-84. The researchers then compared their findings with data obtained for age-matched patients from the 2014 Alzheimer's Association Facts and Figures dataset in order to compare the prevalence of the disease between the study participants and the general population. "These data clearly show that the prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's in our transplant patient group is significantly lower, in fact almost absent, when compared to national data from the general population," reports senior author Luca Cicalese. While 11% of the general population of patients over 65 years had dementia, only 1.02% of the study subjects of the same age had the disease. Similarly, 15.3% of the American population over 75 years had Alzheimer's compared with only 0.6% of the study participants.”

A June 9, 2015 Discovery News article reported that bumblebees might be getting Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “It’s no secret that bees are in crisis right now -- a recent 40 percent decline in bee populations has been blamed on harmful pesticides and mite infestations, but researchers have now identified yet another potential threat to the pollinators: aluminum. According to a new joint study from Keele University and the University of Sussix, bumblebees are now suffering from troubling amounts of aluminum contamination, which could be the cause of debilitating cognitive dysfunction.”

INDUSTRY UPDATE  

A June 9, 2015 The Wall Street Journal article profiled Alzheimer’s focused biotech firm Axovant. According to the article, “Its main product candidate, RVT-101, aims to treat dementia in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The company, which doesn’t yet generate revenue, expects to start a phase three trial later this year, with a possibility for Food and Drug Administration approval by 2017…Axovant’s head of development also led the development of Aricept, a treatment that is the current standard of care for Alzheimer’s. Even so, turning a $5 million check into a $1 billion-plus valuation in the space of just half a year or so is remarkable—and disconcerting.”