USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A May 3, 2019 The Today Show broadcast segment featured former first lady Laura Bush, speaking with her daughter, host Jenna Bush, about the 30-Day Brain Health Challenge she is doing. Mrs. Bush discusses tools and techniques she uses to mitigate her risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and keep her brain healthy. The 30-Day Brain Health Challenge empowers women to prioritize overall brain health. It is an initiative of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

Looking for a great Mother's Day gift? Support Alzheimer's disease research with Rivet Revolution Bracelets. Rivet is a company founded by two women dedicated to raising funds for Alzheimer’s through the sale of beautiful jewelry. They are offering a 10% discount with the promo code “wewontwait,” and donating 20% of sales back to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. The bracelets arrive in a beautiful pouch with a card describing UsA2's Be Brain Powerful™ campaign.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A May 6, 2019 New Atlas article spotlighted a new study out of Germany demonstrating a two-step diagnostic process which detects Alzheimer's disease nearly a decade before the appearance of clinical symptoms. The study developed a new diagnostic tool tracking tau levels, which when coupled with amyloid tests, increased diagnosis accuracy. “Through the combination of both analyses, 87 of 100 Alzheimer's patients were correctly identified in our study. And we reduced the number of false positive diagnoses in healthy subjects to 3 of 100. The second analysis is carried out in cerebrospinal fluid that is extracted from the spinal cord,” said corresponding study author Klaus Gerwert of Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Also covered by Science Daily. 

According to a May 1, 2019 Science Daily article, MIT researchers performed the first comprehensive analysis of genes expressed in brain cells with Alzheimer's disease, and identified distinctive cellular pathways that are affected. They found that axon myelination is significantly disrupted in people with AD, and that male and female brain cells vary significantly in how genes respond. The goal is to discover potential new drug targets for Alzheimer's treatment. “This study provides, in my view, the very first map for going after all of the molecular processes that are altered in Alzheimer's disease in every single cell type that we can now reliably characterize. It opens up a completely new era for understanding Alzheimer’s,” said Professor Manolis Kellis.

MUST LISTEN

A May 3, 2019 NPR All Things Considered radio segment and article looked to the future of Alzheimer’s disease research. Former The New York Times reporter Phil Gutis, who participated in the now defunct Biogen/Eisai aducanumab trial, spoke about the letdown. “I’m just being erased,” he said. According to the segment, “So the end of aducanumab appears to signal the end of the era in which pharmaceutical companies poured billions into amyloid drugs. “The scientists have largely said, ‘OK, we give up,’” Gutis says. Now the question is: What comes next? And scientists say there is a wide range of potential answers. Current strategies include everything from modulating the brain's immune system to finding drugs that can protect healthy brain cells from toxins.”

NOTE FROM USA2

There will be no dailies tomorrow - Tuesday, May 7, 2019.