USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A September 28, 2017 PhRMA article shared a blog post from LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Executive Director Jason Resendez. Resendez celebrates the contributions made by Latinos in health care and medical research in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, in particular Latinos united in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He highlights a few of the many extraordinary Latinos working on this cause including Daisy Duarte, LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s advocate, Jaime Perales, PhD, who spearheaded Envejecimiento Digno, an Alzheimer's disease awareness curriculum for Latinos, and William Vega, PhD, co-author of the "Latinos & Alzheimer’s Disease: New Numbers Behind the Crisis" report on the direct and indirect costs of AD on the US Latino community. 

A September 27, 2017 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s statement on the failure of the intepirdine drug trial thanks researchers and clinical trials coordinators for their efforts. According to UsA2 Co-Founder and Chairman George Vradenburg, “While today’s Alzheimer’s disease drug pipeline has been marred by more than a decade of high failure rates, due to the complex nature of Alzheimer’s, as well as public underinvestment in research, every step in the process – even a setback – brings us closer to a cure. Just as we have before, we will keep working incessantly, passionately, and strategically so that the next round in this fight goes to us.”

MUST READS

According to a September 28, 2017 News Medical article, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been awarded a five-year, $1.5 million training grant from the National Institute on Aging to support a new Alzheimer's Disease Clinical and Translational Research Training Program. "As a technological university, Rensselaer is a critical starting point for advances in healthcare. We want our students to see the big picture of Alzheimer's research that's formed by multiple investigations across the Institute, and the connections to clinical work at Mount Sinai,” said Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Director Deepak Vashishth.

A September 28, 2017 Medical Xpress article spotlighted an EU-funded project, BIOFINDER (Biomarkers For Identifying Neurodegenerative Disorders Early and Reliably), that captured images of changes in a brain with Alzheimer's at different ages. AD has various symptoms, often reflective of the life-stage when the disease initially presents itself. According to Michael Schöll of Lund University and the University of Gothenburg, “Now we have a tool which helps us to identify and detect various sub-groups of Alzheimer's disease. This facilitates the development of drugs and treatments adapted to various forms of Alzheimer's."

A September 27, 2017 Health Imaging article reported that patients with suspected dementia, but unclear diagnosis after standard PET imaging, should receive amyloid-busting PET imaging with florbetaben (FBB) to establish a definitive diagnosis. Findings indicate that a final diagnosis was reached through FBB in 83 percent of formerly unclear cases, and the most likely prior diagnosis was changed in 28 percent of cases.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A September 28, 2017 Medical Xpress article highlighted a report on the impact of dementia in sub-Saharan Africa from Alzheimer's Disease International. The report predicts a 63 percent increase of people with dementia by 2030, and a 257 percent increase by 2050. It urges governments to improve understanding, access to health services and social protection.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

A September 27, 2017 Savannah Now article focused on things to do now to prepare for an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Cedars-Sinai Hospital created a new non-invasive eye screening which can detect key signs of AD years before symptoms arise. Having an advance directive for health care, durable power of attorney and estate planning to protect your family are all critical measures.