MUST READ

An April 25, 2019 The Conversation article by Dartmouth College Professor of Medicine Norman A. Paradis predicted, “There will be no effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in my lifetime.” Paradis calls the “amyloid fixation” as a means to prevent or treat AD a “mistake that could have been avoided.” According to the article, “When Occam’s razor – the principle that the simplest solution is often the best – is applied to this laundry list of possible causes, it leads to some profound implications. Either Alzheimer’s is not one disease, or many factors can contribute to triggering or promoting it… Either of these would be bad news, since we would need to develop multiple effective treatments, possibly in combination.”

An April 24, 2019 Fierce Biotech article reported that Biogen is not moving forward with its phase 3 aducanumab Alzheimer’s disease prevention trial, to delay or prevent the clinical onset of AD. According to the article, “Now, that proposed trial has landed on the scrapheap, too. Having analyzed data from the failed phase 3 program, Biogen has decided against initiating the planned study, at least “at this time.” The decision means that when Biogen finishes the closeout of studies it said it would end last month there will be no active clinical trials of aducanumab listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An April 24, 2019 BrightFocus Foundation release announced its latest grant awards to defeat diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The $16.2 million for 76 new research grants is a record high for the organization, which gives tens of millions to scientific research. “These new grants give bold, innovative ideas a chance to succeed. By pursuing the untried, the unexpected, and the most promising, we are trying to spark new and faster ways to find cures. The graying of the large Baby Boom generation means there is greater urgency than ever to curb these age-related diseases,” said BrightFocus lead Stacy Pagos Haller.

ALZHEIMER'S IN THE MEDIA

An April 18, 2019 MarketWatch article spoke with clinical neuropsychologist, dementia researcher and now filmmaker John DenBoer about his new Netflix film, “This is Dementia.” When asked about what is helpful for dementia prevention, DenBoer answered, “The American Academy of Neurology has indicated that doing new things with your brain, new and novel learning, helps release a chemical in the brain that helps prevent the brain from shrinking, which is what happens in all forms of dementia.” And about how to help a loved one with dementia, “We should really be having the conversation of what we can do to help people when they get into their 60s and 70s. What can we do to promote optimal brain health so they don’t develop the disease at all. We need to have that conversation along with how to be a caregiver conversation.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

An April 17, 2019 WQAD 8 broadcast segment spotlighted the non-profit River Music Experience, which brings music to nursing homes. The program is extremely popular with the residents, second only to Bingo. “Music is an extremely powerful tool for patients with Alzheimer or dementia. It sparks something inside of all of us, and you see people, especially with dementia, come alive,” said Bret Dale of River Music Experience.