USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 11, 2019 Xinhuanet article reported from the Silver Economy Forum in Helsinki. According to the article, “George Vradenburg… said the brain syndrome will soon reach worldwide social dimensions that make it comparable to the climate crisis. At a panel discussion, Vradenburg said 150 million people will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's by 2025, and the number of people losing their lives as a result of the syndrome will reach 25 million… The problem is global, Vradenburg stressed…”

MUST READS

A July 11, 2019 Reliawire article referenced a new study which found that adults with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease did worse on an online memory test than those without. Risk was additionally increased with diabetes or an APOE variation. Study participants completed tests via an online platform. According to the article, “Participants with higher levels of education experience less of a decline in scores on the learning and memory test than people with lower levels of education, even when they have a family history of the disease. Women also appear to fair better despite having Alzheimer’s disease risk factors.” Also covered by Technology Networks and Science Daily.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A July 11, 2019 Yahoo! Finance article reported that BioArctic and partner Eisai will present at AAIC (Alzheimer's Association International Conference® 2019) next week in Los Angeles. Presentations will be given on BAN2401, as well as an interactive satellite symposium focusing on the rationale and opportunities for drug development in preclinical AD. BAN2401 selectively binds to and eliminates soluble, toxic amyloid-beta aggregates that are thought to contribute to Alzheimer's.

According to a July 9, 2019 Being Patient article, it has been found that the VPS35 molecule can clear tau proteins in the brain, which is a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. A team of researchers at the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine looked at brain tissue from patients with progressive supra-nuclear palsy or Picks’ disease, where tau accumulates in the brain, and found that the levels of VPS35 were 50 percent lower than healthy control subjects. Also covered by Medical News Today. 

LIFESTYLE

A July 10, 2019 American Academy of Neurology press release spotlighted a new study showing that using a computer, playing games, crafting and social activities are linked to a lower risk of developing MCI. Additionally, the timing and number of activities are relevant. According to the article, “The more activities people engaged in during later life, the less likely they were to develop mild cognitive impairment.  Those who engaged in two activities were 28 percent less likely to develop memory and thinking problems than those who took part in no activities, while those who took part in three activities were 45 percent less likely, those with four activities were 56 percent less likely and those with five activities were 43 percent less likely.”