USA2 SPOTLIGHT

An October 30, 2019 Medium article by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Lead Jason Resendez celebrated Disney’s movie “Coco,” the animated Day of the Dead-themed Oscar winner, centered around a Latino family whose matriarch’s memory is fading. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s teamed with the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center and community partners to increase Alzheimer’s awareness through tailored community engagement practices, including “Coco” screenings. According to Resendez, “While not a silver bullet for addressing the inequities that exist in Alzheimer’s research and care, Coco and the cultural tradition of Dia de Los Muertos can be helpful for building bridges between communities often disconnected by distance, culture, and mistrust.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

According to an October 30, 2019 Forbes article, NervGen Pharma will initiate Phase I studies on its NVG-291 compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in 2020. The compound aids the nervous system in repairing itself. “We are hoping that our treatments can help the body remove the plaques and then allow new nerve connections to regrow. If our theory is correct, we hope that this could one day prevent and even reverse the disease and its terrible effects,” said compound co-inventor Dr. Jerry Silver of Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine.

FINANCES

An October 30, 2019 Barron’s article reported that Biogen shares are up 2.5% after the company’s announcement last week that it is seeking FDA approval for its Alzheimer’s disease drug aducanumab. The stock was upgraded after the announcement. “It is very hard to bound the upper-end impact of Alzheimer’s drugs. It is more bound by the ability of the public to pay than classic price times volume, which are very high. Thus, as the first Alzheimer’s drug is approved (and others being less certain) much of that upside will be incurred to Biogen’s stock at least in the near term,” wrote Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal.

CLINCAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

An October 31, 2019 WBUR 90.9 article spotlighted a new tau-targeted Alzheimer’s disease therapy from biotech startup Pinteon, which entered its first clinical trial in this month. Hong Kong-based Morningside Ventures invested $17 million in the startup. “We know neurodegeneration is a tough field, but it's also a field with tremendous unmet need, and we, as a society, must keep pushing for new approaches. We're proud to invest in Pinteon's novel approach to targeting toxic tau, and we're hopeful that future clinical studies will demonstrate its efficacy,” said Morningside investment adviser Jason Dinges.

CAREGIVING CORNER

An October 30, 2019 Richland Source article addressed potential difficulties caused by daylight savings for people with dementia who are experiencing sundowning. As darkness arrives earlier, schedules may need to be adjusted to accommodate. Recommendations include scheduling outside activities early in the day, making lunch the main meal, and keeping the home well-lit.