USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A March 20, 2019 CISION PR Newswire release spotlighted work being done at the G20 to bring brain health and dementia to the forefront of the global agenda. The second annual Alzheimer's Scientific Roundtable, including ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer's (RA2) and Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease (CEOi) representatives, convened to rally support around getting the global Alzheimer’s crisis as a main focus on the summit’s agenda. According to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) Chairman George Vradenburg, “Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are the defining global public health crises of the 21st century… The good news is, we know so much more about Alzheimer's than we did just a year ago – and we are hopeful for the future.” RA2 is a UsA2 network. UsA2 is a convener of CEOi.

A Carlen Maddux blog post spotlighted UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Founding Board Member Meryl Comer, who has been a caregiver for her husband, and now mother, both with Alzheimer’s, for the last 22 years. As a former caregiver, Maddux encourages people to join the A-LIST, a project Comer is spearheading through UsA2. Maddux asks Comer, “How would you describe yourself today? There was a pause. “You never know what your strengths are until you’re in a crisis.” What trait do you see in yourself that you didn’t realize two decades ago? Another pause. “My resiliency.””

MUST READS

A March 19, 2019 IEEE Spectrum article spotlighted the NeuroAD, a non-invasive medical device already approved in several other countries, which is up for approval by the FDA to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The device uses an electromagnetic coil to generate a magnetic field, which creates an electric current inside the brain, stimulating six different brain regions, including two parts of the cortex linked to speech, in order to increase the brain’s plasticity. According to Harvard Medical School Neurology Professor Alvaro Pascual-Leone, who led a clinical trial of the device, “I hope that the panel will agree that there is a big need, and that there is good evidence that a sub-population of patients derive benefit from this intervention.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A March 20, 2019 Miami Herald article referenced a new study from the University of Miami which found that toxins produced by blue-green algae (BMAA) have been found in dead dolphins that showed signs of Alzheimer’s-like brain disease. This work could provide insight into the potential threat to humans from toxic algae blooms. According to lead study author David Davis, “Looking at dolphins in the wild also gives scientists a more realistic model of how the toxin accumulates and may cause damage... It’s naturalistic exposure. If you have these... dolphins feeding in the same marine food web as humans, potentially eating the same things as humans, that’s why we say it serves as a sentinel.”  

FINANCES

According to a March 21, 2019 Bloomberg broadcast segment and article, shares of biotech giant Biogen plummeted as much as 29 percent in heavy trading after announcing their experimental Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab, was unlikely to be effective and research was halting. “This disappointing news confirms the complexity of treating Alzheimer’s disease and the need to further advance knowledge in neuroscience,” said CEO Michel Vounatsos. Also covered by CNBC and STAT News. 

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Sign-up for the live chat webinar, “Faith’s Role in the Caregiving Journey,” from Help for Alzheimer’s Families. March 28, 2019 at 1pm (EST). Live chat with author and expert Rick Hamlin. Or send in questions ahead of time to [email protected].