MUST READS

A February 6, 2017 Science|Business article reported the usefulness of studying patient data to produce the best treatments. But many questions remain about the data gathering itself. The challenges in analyzing and acting on patient-reported data were explored at a December 2016 Science|Business Healthy Measures conference in London, hosted by the University of Warwick Medical School. “We’re a long way from being able to package data in a way that is meaningful and actionable,” said Ian Forde, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Healthcare professionals are already charged with significant data collection duties, so the data has to be meaningful and align with their values. “You’ve got to go back constantly to say this is the result; this is how it will benefit you and your patients,” said Meghana Pandit, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwick (UHCW). “Alzheimer’s is a good example, carers can contribute a lot more than we use them for at the moment,” explained Kiran Patel, Medical Director, NHS England.

A February 6, 2017 McKnight’s Senior Living article referenced a bipartisan letter from Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 10 other senators, urging President Donald Trump to increase current funding for Alzheimer's disease research in his fiscal year 2018 budget request. “In addition to the human suffering it causes, Alzheimer's is our nation's most expensive disease, costing the United States more than $236 billion a year, including $160 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid,” they wrote. “These costs will skyrocket as the baby boom generation ages.” Despite recent budget increases, they noted, we need to do more.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

A February 6, 2017 Medical Xpress article reported on the the clarification of an immune system protein called TREM2, which until recently was shown to have opposing effects in early and late stage Alzheimer’s disease. An updated model of AD progression, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, highlights the need to align certain therapies with disease stages. "Our lab and others had previously published conflicting results about how TREM2 affected pathology in Alzheimer's mouse models. One group published data showing Alzheimer's mice lacking TREM2 had more amyloid plaques. We previously found the opposite, that getting rid of TREM2 improved amyloid pathology," said Taylor Jay, lead author of the study and graduate student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "We didn't know why we weren't getting the same answers. And, that was just the first question we wanted to ask, before we moved onto questions about exactly how TREM2 was influencing pathology."

PREVENTION

A February 6, 2017 GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) article reported on a new UCLA study finding that consuming grapes protects against significant metabolic decline in Alzheimer-related areas of the brain, in patients with early memory decline. Low metabolic activity in these areas of the brain is a hallmark of early-stage AD, and a grape-enriched diet protects against the decline of metabolic activity. The diet also increases metabolism in other areas of the brain correlating with improvements in attention and working memory performance. Findings were published in Experimental Gerontology. “The study examines the impact of grapes as a whole fruit versus isolated compounds, and the results suggest that regular intake of grapes may provide a protective effect against early decline associated with Alzheimer's disease," explained lead study investigator, Daniel Silverman, MD, PhD, Head of Neuronuclear Imaging, Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, UCLA.

PHILANTHROPY

A February 6, 2017 AL.com article reported on an anonymous gift of $2.5 million, to the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology in Huntsville, funding new research sequencing the complete genetic makeup of 1,500 patients that could lead to earlier diagnosis and new treatments for Alzheimer disease. "HudsonAlpha has a rare opportunity to conduct truly groundbreaking research in Alzheimer disease through this project. What we learn could help us diagnose earlier, monitor treatments better and lead to drug discoveries for new treatments," said lead researcher, Dr. Rick Myers, HudsonAlpha's President and Science Director.