MUST READS

According to a December 16, 2019 UTSA Today article, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Oskar Fischer Prize is open for entries through December 15, 2020. The prize seeks to expand the understanding and explanation of Alzheimer’s disease. Up to $4 million will be awarded for “comprehensive literature review as well as novel thinking, [are able] to best synthesize the breadth of Alzheimer’s disease research to date into one explanation for the cause of the disease.” “This is an exciting opportunity to allow ideas to come forward that otherwise may not have been explored and shared,” said UTSA Brain Health Consortium Director Jenny Hsieh.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A December 16, 2019 Medical Xpress article reported on research aiming to remove cholesterol from the brain. Cholesterol is believed to contribute to the formation of amyloid-beta plaques, a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers found that making structural modifications to the anti-AIDS drug efavirenz (EFV) increased the activation of a brain cholesterol-removing enzyme.

A December 13, 2019 Science News article looked at the potential to target CD33 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The most common CD33 protein plays an essential role in the proper functioning of microglia. According to Matthew Macauley of the University of Alberta, “These findings set the stage for future testing of a causal relationship between CD33 and Alzheimer's Disease, as well as testing therapeutic strategies to sway microglia from harmful to protecting against the disease -- by targeting CD33... A therapy to harness this ability to slow down or reverse Alzheimer's disease can be envisioned.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A December 13, 2019 Pharma Times article focused on research out of Edinburgh University on the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC), the first area of the brain to show Alzheimer’s disease-related changes. The LEC is comprised of layers of cells forming complex networks of connections with other brain regions. The new research showed that a malfunction between a particular LEC layer and the hippocampus affects episodic memory but not “simpler forms of memory.” This research could lead to new Alzheimer’s disease drug targets. Also covered by Medical Xpress. 

ETHICS

A December 14, 2019 The Blaze article looked at the ethics and legality of physician assisted death for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias in Québec, Canada. Québec is launching a non-partisan, public consultation process to decide whether patients, while they are still mentally able, may sign an advance directive to be euthanized. According to the article, “In the event a person suffers from a disease where they could lose their decision-making abilities, the Canadian panel recommended that patients formally designate a third party while they are still mentally capacitated who would inform doctors of the existence of a prior consent to be euthanized.”

MUST WATCH

In a December 14, 2019 Being Patient video, Founder and host Deborah Kan speaks with Dr. Sharon Cohen of the Toronto Memory Program about Biogen’s aducanumab.