USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A March 22, 2018 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s statement from Chairman George Vradenburg addressed the FY18 funding bill Congress will vote on tomorrow. “UsAgainstAlzheimer’s applauds Congress for listening to the more than 5.5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers, and including a historic increase for Alzheimer’s research funding of $414 million… We thank our champions in the House and Senate, including Chairmen Tom Cole (R-OK) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Ranking Members Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) for their continued commitment to addressing the Alzheimer’s challenge through research funding. We are grateful Congress is recognizing the urgent need to expand investment in Alzheimer’s research.” Also covered by Patch. 

A March 19, 2018 Inside Edition broadcast segment featured Kim Campbell, wife of late country superstar Glen Campbell, who died last year of Alzheimer’s disease. She is facing a court battle with some of Glen’s children over his estate, but is moving beyond the drama and supporting the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation's (GAP) partnership with ride service Lyft, to provide transportation for Alzheimer’s clinical trial participants. According to Kim, “It's devastating to lose someone to this disease. It's heartbreaking but I want to bring something positive out of it." Kim Campbell is a friend and partner of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and GAP is a UsA2 initiative.

MUST READS

(ICYMI) A March 11, 2018 The New York Times article spotlighted the “House of Memories” program at National Museums Liverpool, which is offering memory-stimulating suitcases as part of its multi-pronged dementia program. The suitcases, covering the years 1930-1980, contains evocative, themed items including photographs, memorabilia and objects to “help rekindle memories in people with dementia and lead them to start conversations.” The corresponding app offers training days for caregivers and family members, memory walks and guided tours of the museum. The program is serving as a guide for other institutions to implement similar programs.

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

A March 19, 2018 Endpoints News article reported that South San Francisco biotech startup Denali (ex-Genentech’ers) is launching a Phase I clinical study of its DNL747 Alzheimer’s drug. It banked $155 million from Takeda, and scored positive early results on its BACE1 (an Alzheimer’s mechanism) study. Denali is utilizing its Antibody Transport Vehicle technology to get past the blood brain barrier and deliver therapies into the brain. 

INDUSTRY UPDATE

According to a March 20, 2018 News Wise article, a study from UT Medical Branch at Galveston showed that patients who received the drug FK506 for long-term immunosuppression following organ transplant developed Alzheimer’s disease less frequently than expected. “As an FDA-approved drug, we propose that FK506 be evaluated through clinical trials as a treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease… Our experiments suggest that lower doses of FK506 than are needed to block transplant rejection may be able to protect neurons from beta-amyloid without significant immunosuppression,” said study author Dr. James Malter of UT Southwestern.

FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE DAY

A March 21, 2018 Alligator article featured retired professor Art Donovan, who is hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. His mother has AD, and his goal is for people to contribute one penny for every mile he hikes. According to Donovan, “I’m doing it for her and all those people in the future who could get this disease.”