USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 23, 2018 The New York Times article spotlighted the challenges of recruiting participants for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) is helping Eli Lilly find 375 people for their TRAILBLAZER-ALZ Study and estimates it will have to inform 15,000 to 18,000 people in the right age groups. Only 20 percent will meet the trial criteria. GAP is a partner of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

MUST READS

A July 24, 2018 Inside Philanthropy article focused on the money starting to flow into dementia research. According to the article, “It's significant that Bill Gates, the planet's top philanthropist, has joined the biomarker initiative. In November of 2017, when Gates announced his intention to invest in Alzheimer's research, he acknowledged a personal connection: Men in his family have had the disease. But he also spoke of the sheer numbers, in terms of human impact as well as dollars, for a disease that's only going to become more common and more expensive as the population ages—unless better treatments can be developed. According to some estimates, the annual financial costs of Alzheimer's will reach $1 trillion by 2050 in the U.S. alone.”

MUST WATCH

A July 23, 2018 WCCO 4 CBS Minnesota broadcast segment focused on how to decide if it’s time for someone with memory loss to stop driving. WCCO has been documenting Paul Quinn for three years as he experiences the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Peg, felt it was time for a reevaluation with a certified driving rehabilitation specialist. “I was getting more nervous about things, and I wanted an outside opinion about how things were going when I wasn’t around,” said Peg.

ALZ TECH

A July 23, 2018 EurekAlert! release reported that the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Data Storage Site at Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center will make large-scale DNA sequence data available to investigators in order to provide Alzheimer's disease-relevant genetic data to accelerate research. The database contains whole-genome sequence data for 5,000 subjects, both Alzheimer's cases and cognitively normal controls, and within a year 20,000 subjects’ data will be available. According to Eliezer Masliah, MD of the NIA, “The genetics data from this immense ethnically diverse population will help identify genetic risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease. The release of this data is a critical step in the treatment and prevention of this devastating disease.”

DEMENTIA AND THE ARTS

A July 23, 2018 Woman’s Day article spotlighted Jennifer Zawadzinski, who photographed her mom’s journey through Alzheimer’s disease. According to Zawadzinski, “I hesitated at first to take pictures of my mom. I was afraid of what I might see. I think Mom knew what was happening as she often looked directly into the lens and I really felt the connection. Ultimately it was revelatory and therapeutic for me… This experience really showed me what it means to appreciate every moment.”