July 17, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 14, 2017 Univision article (in Spanish) highlighted the reactions of patients and advocacy organizations to the third version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, including UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. According to UsA2 Chairman, George Vradenburg, “The deep and long-term cuts to the Medicaid program preserved in this version of the Senate health care bill undermine access to care and support for low-income families grappling with Alzheimer’s, a disease that can cost families between $41,000 and $56,000 annually.”


A July 13, 2017 1A radio segment explored how storytelling can improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Joshua Johnson hosted Jill Lesser, President of Women Against Alzheimer's and Board member of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, joined by journalist Jay Newton-Small, CEO and Co-Founder of Memory Well, along with other guests, to discuss how caregivers can get to know their patients’ life stories.

MUST READS

A July 17, 2017 Scientific American article focused on conversations taking place in London at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. A status report will be presented of efforts to achieve measurable changes in the brain function of patients afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease via drug intervention. Major drug companies, including Pfizer, Lily, Novartis, Astra-Zeneca, Roche and Merck have experienced failed clinical trials when attempting to restore memory by removing amyloid. But they push forward nonetheless because of the promise of giant financial returns on their investments. 

 

A July 16, 2017 The Washington Post article reported that, “A new group of studies into racial disparities among people with Alzheimer’s disease suggests that social conditions, including the stress of poverty and racism, substantially raise the risks of dementia for African Americans.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A July 17, 2017 Medical Xpress article looked at three studies presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London examining whether amyloid PET scans provide additional and more accurate information to aid dementia diagnosis than brain and spinal fluid samples. PET scans are expensive and have therefore, so far, been limited in their use. According to Dr. David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, “The current drive for life-changing dementia treatments means that in the future, the use of amyloid PET scans or other innovative diagnostic methods will be important to ensure that new medicines reach the right people at the right time.” 
 

According to a July 14, 2017 Science Daily article, researchers led by Arizona State University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute have identified altered expression of a gene associated with Alzheimer's disease called ANK1 in specific cells in the brain. "Using our unique data set, we show that in the hippocampus, ANK1 is significantly increased four-fold in Alzheimer's disease microglia, but not in neurons or astrocytes from the same individuals. These findings emphasize that expression analysis of defined classes of cells is required to understand what genes and pathways are dysregulated in Alzheimer’s," said Dr. Winnie Liang, an Assistant Professor, Director of TGen Scientific Operations and Director of TGen's Collaborative Sequencing Center.