September 22, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A September 22, 2017 Nature article, co-authored by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder and CEO George Vradenburg, spotlighted the use of biometric monitoring devices (BMDs) for a deeper understanding of disease processes and patient status. They can measure minimally observable changes more precisely than clinical observation, and be integrated into diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. The Coalition Against Major Diseases, a public–private partnership of the Critical Path Institute, is focused on creating new drug development tools and methods to accelerate the delivery of treatments for various stages of Alzheimer disease, including the use of BMDs to support drug registration trials.


MUST READS

A September 22, 2017 STAT article highlighted the “All of Us” data-gathering, personalized medicine experiment from the National Institutes of Health. They hope to enroll over 1 million participants with more than half from underrepresented communities.


A September 21, 2017 Al Jzaeera article looked at Medellin, Colombia, home to a multi-million-dollar Alzheimer's disease drug trial at the University of Antioquia, studying residents who have a genetic mutation on a chromosome that causes early-onset AD. It is the fourth year of the trial with four more to go. According to Consuela de las Mercedes, who has the mutation in her family, "In every family that I see, I ask: 'Who is taking care of this person?' It's always the wives and daughters, but those very people get sick themselves." 


A September 21, 2017 Labiotech article focused on the use of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. With AI’s ability to integrate knowledge to generate predictions for therapeutic applications, namely whole-genome data to identify the most relevant biological pathways, it increases chances of selecting the best target for a new therapy. According to Winston Hide of The University of Sheffield, “From these studies, we’ve found that the top targets for Alzheimer’s were non-coding regions like THAP9-AS1, which potentially could be used as a target.”


MUST WATCH

A September 21, 2017 TULSA ABC 8 video segment told the story of Bob and Lori Richardson. Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and is now on disability. According to Lori, “At this point of our lives, this is not what we were expecting at this point. You know, financially it can devastate you within a few months." 


INDUSTRY UPDATE

A September 19, 2017 Business Insider article reported that AgeneBio received a National Institute on Aging grant for its phase three trial on AGB101, the only therapeutic for mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. According to Sharon Rosenzweig-Lipson, PhD, “The state of the science points to hippocampal overactivity in MCI due to AD as a strong predictor of progression to Alzheimer's dementia and the earliest point at which this pre-dementia condition can be diagnosed and potentially treated before significant irreversible neurodegeneration occurs.” 


RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A September 21, 2017 Alzforum article focused on whether tau circulating in plasma could offer a blood-based biomarker for brain disorders. Researchers are studying whether plasma tau can forecast a person’s progression to MCI or dementia, or their general cognitive decline.


EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Dementia and Driving: A Decision Aid from the University of Wollongong, Australia is a resource that may be used by any driver who has dementia. A diagnosis of dementia can come as a shock which is accompanied by a variety of changes to one’s lifestyle and needs.