MUST READS

A March 9, 2020 Medical Xpress article spotlighted the Multiplex Model, a new view on Alzheimer’s disease developed by University's UK Dementia Research Institute scientists. The goal is to understand AD and how it develops by studying all fifty known genetic risk factors. According to Professor Julie Williams, "The genetic breakthroughs we and other scientists have made over the past 20 years have shown us that Alzheimer's is a multi-component disease. The Multiplex Model assumes that changes to one or all of these components work together to form a disease cascade. In other words, we now know that Alzheimer's can be triggered by a number of different defects in the genetic make-up.”

A March 7, 2020 Bloomberg Markets article focused on Biogen’s high stakes prospects in the coming months as the FDA reviews its application for aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug reduces plaque in the brain, a major hallmark of AD. The company’s stocks plummeted last March with word the clinical trial was abandoned, and then rallied in October as hopes were revived. According to the article ““It all comes down to FDA’s willingness to approve a novel therapy with a debatable dataset in a disease that affects millions of patients,” said Guggenheim Securities analyst Yatin Suneja in a January phone interview. While the data are “very complex,” he sees a fair chance that aducanumab wins U.S. approval.”

POLITICS

A March 4, 2020 CNS News blog post highlighted Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s promise during a Super Tuesday speech that, “We’re going to invest billions of dollars to find, and I promise you, cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes…" "Look, our agenda is bold. It’s progressive. It’s a vision. Where health care is affordable and available to everybody in America,” he said.

YOUTH FOCUS

(ICYMI) A February 28, 2020 Philly Voice article referred to data in a recent report from Blue Cross Blue Shield which found that early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's diagnoses increased by 83% from 2013 to 2017 amongst commercially insured Americans, ages 30 to 44. Overall, early-onset diagnoses increased by 200%, with women making up 58% of diagnoses. “The results of this report are concerning, especially the increase in early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's disease among younger people. While the underlying cause is not clear, advances in technology are certainly allowing for earlier and more definitive diagnosis,” said Dr. Richard Snyder of Independence Blue Cross.