MUST READS

An August 6, 2019 New Atlas article reported that Alkahest revealed early, positive results from their ongoing Phase 2 trial of GRF6019, a proprietary formulation of chronokines (specific proteins found in young blood plasma) to try and slow or stop Alzheimer's disease-associated cognitive decline. The trial, however, does not have a placebo arm, instead a randomized, double-blind comparison between low and high doses of the drug. “These top-line results indicate a potential benefit of this plasma protein fraction in slowing the progression of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease… GRF6019 represents an innovative approach to effectively treating Alzheimer's disease by targeting multiple underlying mechanisms of disease...” said Alkahest CEO Karoly Nikolich.

An August 5, 2019 The Brink (Boston University) article focused on the link between dementia, the brain’s white matter and CTE, the neurodegenerative disease found in former (American) football players. Boston University researchers looked at subconcussive repetitive head impacts, which cause white matter injury and may contribute to dementia in people with CTE. “...In this study, we found a direct association between the number of years someone played American football and the severity of white matter changes; the more years of football someone had played, the more likely they were to have more severe white matter changes, which contributed to dementia. Based on this study, we know that p-tau is not the whole story,” said lead study researcher Michael Alosco. Also covered by Medical Xpress, and others.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

An August 6, 2019 WTNH News 8 broadcast segment highlighted a pilot study of a cap which utilizes electronic magnetic waves to break-up proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Neuroscientist Dr. Gary Arendash teamed-up with inventor Eric Knight, with the ultimate goal of reversing cognitive decline. The study, from the University of South Florida Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, found that the device reversed memory loss in seven out of eight patients.

An August 6, 2019 Medical Xpress article looked to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University, which concluded that amyloid (florbetapir) PET scans are not effective for measuring cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease. They found that FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) PET scans, measuring the brain’s glucose consumption as a marker of neural activity, is better to assess progression and severity of AD and MCI, determine the effectiveness of therapies, and track disease advancement.

HUMAN INTEREST

An August 1, 2019 KQTV 6 Tulsa broadcast segment spotlighted Ashli Montgomery, who is quilting to help raise money for Alzheimer’s disease research and care. With her Quilt 2 end ALZ effort, people send quilt squares from all over the country, which are then sewn together and will be auctioned off or sold. The year-long project kicked-off on June 21, 2019. “Take the longest day of the year, and shed light on this disease,” said Montgomery.