MUST READS

A March 4, 2020 Being Patient article and video interview looked at the heightened risk of people with dementia contracting the Coronavirus. A person with dementia may not even notice their own symptoms if they become ill. Being Patient Founder Deborah Kan spoke with geriatric and adult psychiatrist Dr. James M. Ellison of Christiana Care about what to look for, how to prepare and best ways to keep your loved ones safe.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A March 4, 2020 Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network articlefocused on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, even before the onset of symptoms. Researchers looked at participants in ADNI (Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative) to try and determine where cognitive performance could predict progression from "amyloid-β (Aβ) positive" to abnormal levels. According to study first author Jeremy A. Elman, PhD of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, “Once a person reaches the point of being Aβ-positive, it means that there is already substantial underlying pathology. It would be advantageous to identify at-risk individuals before they develop substantial amyloid burden to improve treatment efficacy and slow progression to Alzheimer’s disease dementia.”

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

A March 4, 2020 Advarra blog post highlighted the trend toward virtual clinical trials, made possible by the plethora of new remote monitoring devices and wearable technology available. More and more trials are integrating at least some virtual aspect into their research, however more traditional, in-clinic paradigms still rule the day. According to the blog, “The progression towards making trials more “virtual” is inevitable and a welcome addition to the goal of enhancing the quality and reducing costs of conducting clinical research. However, completely virtual clinical trials are still along way from being the norm… We anticipate seeing a slow and steady march on the part of sponsors and investigators to use technology smartly to improve the efficiency of clinical trials while at the same time easing the burden to participants.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES 

A March 4, 2020 Yahoo! Finance article announced a request for proposals for the ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award, to accelerate innovative research to treat, prevent or slow Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. Academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions and universities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom may apply. Find more information here.