USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Jason Resendez, Executive Director of LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's, was featured in a March 6, 2018 UnidosUS blog post about UsAgainstAlzheimer's and the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation's work to engage Latinos in Alzheimer's clinical research. According to Resendez, "You can’t say that you’re doing good science if your sample is 98% Caucasian. That’s not representative of the population these drugs are going to operate in.”

The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement post featured Nihal Satyadev, Co-Founder of The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer’s, a co-convener of UsA2’s Youth Against Alzheimer's Coalition. His program, YouthCare, is a new respite care program that pairs undergraduate/graduate students with older adults diagnosed with early-stage dementia. According to Satyadev, “Youth are at a special place during their college and early career years, as many of them are still trying to figure out their passion and what issues they want to invest their time in. Making them aware of our nation’s urgent caregiver needs through a hands-on service model will be sure to inspire many of them to pursue future solutions for caregivers.”

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A March 7, 2018 Venture Beat business release announced that Cytox, a precision medicine leader providing genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease, has been awarded more that $1 million in funding by Innovate UK. According to the article, “The project aim is to confirm that a proprietary SNP panel and associated algorithm is an effective method for predicting the presence of AD pathology. Such a prognostic test is essential to enable meaningful clinical trials of emergent AD therapies.”

MUST WATCH

A March 8, 2018 Dayton Daily News broadcast segment featured the nonprofit 4 Paws for Ability and their new program, “Alzheimer’s Assistance Dog Program,” providing service dogs for families impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. The organization has trained and placed more than 1,500 service dogs, including dogs for veterans. 

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

A March 8, 2018 WXXI News article spotlighted Rochester Regional Health’s Memory Center neuropsychologist Krista Damann, who spoke about the link between race and Alzheimer’s disease at Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Older African Americans are twice as likely to have AD and other dementias, but less likely to be diagnosed. According to the article, “There may also be a psycho-social link, according to Damann. A decrease in cognitive reserve (a protective factor against developing the disease) might be prevalent in some African American communities where there is decreased access to education or poor quality of education.”

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

According to a March 7, 2018 CISION PR Newswire news release, EIP Pharma’s drug neflamapimod, for patients with early Alzheimer's disease, will enter a 6-month phase 2b clinical study. “Significant unmet need exists for improved Alzheimer's treatments which is why we are so encouraged by these data demonstrating neflamapimod's potential to improve memory function in patients with Alzheimer's disease," said CEO John Alam.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

A March 7, 2018 The John A. Hartford Foundation event post announced that the 2017 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy awardees will be honored at the 2018 Aging in America Conference on March 27, 2018 in San Francisco.