USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Learn about UsAgainstAlzheimer’s new Brain Health Partnership initiative. The risk and indications of Alzheimer’s can be recognized as many as 20 years before symptoms, presenting a window of opportunity to delay onset, improve overall health, lower costs and increase clinical trial participation. Together with our partners, UsA2 is seizing this window to address these challenges and transform the broader landscape for brain health. We are advancing a comprehensive strategy to ensure brain health is included as an integral element of overall good health, and cognitive decline is identified and addressed early.

A November 5, 2018 KJZZ 91.5 article looked at why, one year after its theatrical release, the animated feature film, “Coco” is still being referenced by aging and dementia organizations. The story revolves around Latino culture and a lead character who has dementia. According to LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Lead Jason Resendez, “And so we’re leveraging the movie 'Coco' to engage Latino families and others in a conversation that’ll bust stigma and start to normalize the conversation around dementia and Latino families.” Latinos are one and a half times more likely than non-Latino whites to get Alzheimer’s.

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

A November 5, 2018 Chicago Sun Times article focused on numbers from a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report of 28 million Medicare recipients, which was the first to account for older Americans’ race and ethnicity. African-Americans have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, about two times more likely than white Americans, and Latinos are one-and-one-half times more likely. African-Americans and Latinos are also less likely to be diagnosed.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A November 6, 2018 Medical Xpress article reported that a research team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Center for Therapeutic Innovation identified a novel epigenetic drug target to simultaneously normalize multiple deficits in Alzheimer's disease. They demonstrated that epigenetic "eraser" enzyme, histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3), is connected to multiple AD hallmarks, including beta-amyloid. According to lead study author Karolina J. Janczura, “This was an incredibly rewarding experience. We were able to demonstrate that it is possible to re-program neuronal cell gene expression and thereby achieve a very striking reversal of deteriorating memory in our Alzheimer's disease model.”

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

According to a November 1, 2018 Pennsylvania Pressroom release, a Pennsylvania Department of Aging collaborative received a grant of almost one million dollars from the State and Community Alzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative (ADPI). The grant will help improve dementia services for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD), through the “Improving PA’s Dementia Capability” project. “This grant exemplifies our commitment that through cross-sector engagement we can work together to responsibly and creatively meet the needs of the individual diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the caregivers who journey with them,” said Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne.

PROFILES IN COURAGE

A November 5, 2018 Salem Statesman Journal article spotlighted Rene Knight as the “2018 Dementia Care Professional of the Year,” honored by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. According to AFA Lead Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., “Rene is a hard-working, compassionate caregiver who works tirelessly to put her clients’ needs first. She exemplifies the dedication and devotion to serving individuals living with dementia, their family, staff and the community, which this distinction represents.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

The Treat FTD Fund announced a Request for Proposals for Funding for Innovative Clinical Trials for Frontotemporal Degeneration. Letters of Intent are due November 9, 2018, and Invited Full Proposals on February 15, 2019. Funding is open to all researchers and clinicians working in academic medical centers, universities or nonprofits, or biotechnology companies that demonstrate a clear need for non-profit funding. Launched in 2016, the Treat FTD Fund is a joint effort by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration to support clinical development of novel or repurposed drugs for frontotemporal degeneration disorders.