August 15, 2016

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

An August 12, 2016 Huffington Post piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s co-founder Trish Vradenburg highlighted Alzheimer’s impact on women and her recent appearance at the Hadassah National Convention. According to Vradenburg, “So we knock on doors of Congress and demand more funding for research. My role in life used to be cancelling my husband’s vote at elections. No more. Now we are part of the Alzheimer’s Party - asking voters as well as Congressional members - and those running against them - to sign a pledge that they will support funding for research and include the goal to stop Alzheimer’s in the talking points for their campaigns. We advocate, we push hard to get the numbers we need. If you’re reading this, we need your signature and voice as well. In politics, numbers count. Our slogan is “We Won’t Wait!” And, let’s face it, we can’t afford to.”

An August 12, 2016 AlzForum article highlighted the work of the GAP Foundation and the need for a standing global clinical trial cohort. According to the article, “At the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference, held July 22-28 in Toronto, this quote by Ontario’s native son Wayne Gretzky echoed in the hallways as clinicians discussed upgrading their infrastructure and operations in anticipation of a clinical trials platform being set up by the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (EPAD) and Global Alzheimer’s Platform (GAP) Net (see Parts 1 and 2 of this series). A crucial component of these initiatives that is currently moving into place is the clinical site networks on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. EPAD is certifying a network of 30 sites throughout Europe; in the United States, GAP is expanding a pilot of 11 sites to add 20 sites this year, and 30 more in 2017. “Eighty sites, both academic and commercial ones, have expressed interest to join,” GAP founder George Vradenburg told Alzforum. GAP Net is a not-for-profit site management organization that is independent of trial sponsors or specific drugs. Both GAP and EPAD are public-private partnerships.”

Alzheimer's Talks Tomorrow: Neuroscientist Dr. Jeffrey Iliff and his team have been at the forefront of research on how the brain clears waste and what it may tell us about how Alzheimer’s develops. This month on Alzheimer’s Talks, he’ll join us to share his groundbreaking research on the possible links between sleep and Alzheimer’s. Join us on Tuesday, August 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET for a fascinating conversation about this exciting research. Sign up here.


MUST READS

Dementia Friends Spotlight: Dementia Friendly America is the US licensee of the UK Dementia Friends program. This program seeks to raise awareness, reduce stigma and foster individual engagement through training and participation in an online community.  Link to the U.K. version of Dementia Friends here.  DFA will use Dementia Friends to increase spread of dementia friendliness throughout the U.S. and foster its DFA goals, such as adoption of dementia friendly practices in all sectors of community.  DFA is partnering with Connected Living and Home Instead to develop an online campaign wherein people view sector-specific video shorts that raise awareness about and provide education on approaches to effectively interact with people living with dementia. 

An August 15, 2016 STAT News article reported that athletes are avoiding genetic testing for concussion and Alzheimer’s risk. According to the article, “Not many athletes are interested in getting tested. Insurers won’t pay. And now, even some proponents of the tests are backing away. They’re expressing qualms about giving athletes, and their parents, unsettling news about the risks lurking in their genes — including the possibility that the children most at risk of problems after a concussion may also have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease later in life.”

An August 12, 2016 MedScape.com article reported that “A new agent designed to regulate glucose metabolism in the brain significantly affects cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD), results of a small phase 2 trial suggest.”