USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 16, 2018 The Doctor Weighs In article by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) Founding Board Member Meryl Comer and LEAD Coalition’s (convened by UsA2) Ian Kremer spotlights the A-LIST, which regularly fields “What Matters Most” surveys to identify and analyze what matters to people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones. According to the article, “The A-List is a growing online community of nearly 6,000 people living with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), their caregivers, and those at elevated risk for developing dementia.” The A-LIST is an initiative of UsA2.

Join our next Alzheimer's Talks on July 31, 2018 at 2pm (EST) with Dr. Laura Baker of the Wake Forest School of Medicine about the U.S. POINTER study. The study will test the impact of a combination of diet, exercise, health management, social engagement and intellectual challenge on cognitive function. It is part of an ever-expanding global collaboration that will build on similar studies in Finland (FINGER study) and elsewhere.

MUST READS

A July 16, 2018 Investor’s Business Daily article reported that Biogen and Eisai will present more details on their BAN2401 drug, for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease, on July 25, 2018. The drug has been shown to slow disease progression in clinical trials, based on analysis at 18 months, utilizing a new measure called Alzheimer's Disease Composite Score (ADCOMS). Analysts disagree on whether this is a sufficient measure for AD treatments.

MUST WATCH

Watch Being Patient’s live Facebook talk with Alzheimer's expert Dr. Rudy Tanzi on the secrets to brain health. July 20, 2018 at 11am (EST). Dr. Tanzi will discuss his research spanning from genetics, to lifestyle, to looking at how viruses like herpes might be causing Alzheimer's disease. 

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to a July 16, 2018 MedPage today article [registration required], a new exploratory study suggests that high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) scanning (with the compound 11C-UCB-J) could be a direct measure of synaptic density in living human brains. This may provide an in vivo biomarker for early Alzheimer's disease, and outcome measure for drug trials. According to Ming-Kai Chen, MD of Yale University, "Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that we are able to measure hippocampal synaptic density loss in early Alzheimer's disease using non-invasive PET imaging with specific SV2A probe in living human brain. This new molecular imaging technique could provide us a very useful tool for early diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and evaluating new therapies in Alzheimer's disease.” Also covered by Science Daily.

VETERANS SPOTLIGHT

A July 13, 2018 The Scientist article reported that exosomes, blood-derived biomarkers (tau, amyloid-β 42, IL-10), extracted from extracellular vesicles that started out in the brain, were higher in military personal with traumatic head injuries (TBI) compared to healthy soldiers. New nanoparticle sorting technology can isolate these individual exosomes. Such biomarkers indicate the severity of traumatic brain injuries and could help predict the progression and long-term effects of brain damage. Studies show that elevated levels of tau and amyloid-β in blood plasma are associated with post-concussive symptoms after a TBI, both of which are major hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.