USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Join our next Alzheimer's Talks - TOMORROW - Tuesday, November 20, at 1:00pm (EST) as we speak with Scott Lewis from Biogen, who will describe current Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic techniques, and what we might expect in the future. We will also hear from Melissa Bianchi from the law firm Hogan Lovells discussing how families might prepare for an early-stage AD biomarker confirmation. 

A Maria Shriver piece by leader of The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s(a UsA2 coalition partner) Nihal Satyadev looked at what it will take, as a society, to support elders maintaining ‘purposeful and healthy lives for as long as possible.’ According to Satyadev, “Alas, when a system seems without hope for transformative innovation, comes a new generation. We are a generation that recognizes inequities in our society and work towards rapidly addressing them. We aren’t afraid to call B.S. on the gun lobby, we are transforming solutions for climate change, and we will be the ones to address the flaws in our long-term care system.”

If you need stamps for the holidays, consider purchasing the Alzheimer’s Semipostal stamp, which raises funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. You can buy online or at most post offices. Hats-off to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Advocate Lynda Everman, who fought hard for the creation of this stamp.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

A November 16, 2018 CNBC article reported that Facebook CFO David Wehner joined the board of biotech company Alector, which is developing novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease. According to the article, “Along with Wehner, the company also appointed Richard Scheller, chief science officer of 23andMe, and Louis Lavigne, former chief financial officer of Genentech, to its board. “We look forward to leveraging their insights in drug development, strategic financial management, business operations and corporate growth strategies in order to accelerate transformative medicines with the goal of curing neurodegenerative diseases,” said Arnon Rosenthal, Alector's CEO, in a statement.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A November 19, 2018 The Detroit News article profiled the work of University of Michigan Neurologist and pioneering stem cell researcher Eva Feldman, whose mother died from Alzheimer’s disease. Visiting and helping to care for her and other residents of a memory care facility, Feldman committed to using her knowledge to try and treat AD. According to Feldman, "It was remarkable as a neurologist to live Alzheimer’s disease. Their degree of impairment was so profound it made me realize that I needed to do something for this disease if I could and do something as quickly as I could."

ALZ TECH

A November 16, 2018 MedGadget article talked with Dr. Chase Spurlock, who is spearheading efforts to build a platform around the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. According to Spurlock, “As we look to the future and the broad applicability of our technology, we began exploring whether we could use our blood-based approach or population analytics platform to tackle new disease indications. Alzheimer’s disease quickly rose to the top of the list because this fatal neurodegenerative disease affects over five million Americans and often goes unnoticed until symptoms manifest 15-20 years after the damage to the brain starts.”

In a November 7, 2018 CNET article by Mark Serrels, whose grandmother died earlier this year from Alzheimer’s disease, he tested a demo of the video game “Before I Forget.” The game puts users inside the experience of a middle-aged woman with early-onset dementia who gets lost in her own house. According to Serrels, “My grief didn't really appear until playing Before I Forget. Maybe it was the shift in perspective. For years I'd considered my grandmother's illness only in terms of how it affected me. When a close relative withdraws and struggles to connect like they they once did, empathy can be difficult. At least it was for me. I pulled back, invented a distance. I made myself cold."