March 13, 2017

Today’s Top Alzheimer’s News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

In a March 13, 2017 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s press release, UsA2 Co-Founder and Chairman, George Vradenburg, urges Congress to move quickly to confirm President Trump's nomination of Dr. Scott Gottlieb as the next FDA Commissioner. UsA2 released a statement calling for swift Congressional action. “Dr. Gottlieb brings a solid history of agency experience,” Vradenburg said. “We have every confidence that he is dedicated to moving safe and effective therapies swiftly through the FDA review process and into the hands of patients and clinicians. This experience and perspective will be critical as we anticipate the arrival of much-needed therapies to treat Alzheimer’s over the next few years."

Join A2A’s (Adversity to Advocacy) Alzheimer’s Messages of Hope campaign. Give hope. Get hope. All in 30 seconds. Share YOUR story with the help of professional journalists. The A2A Alzheimer’s Advocacy Resource Center (ARC) is an outreach project in partnership with the A-List and Leeza’s Care Connection, aiming to help individuals impacted by Alzheimer’s step into Alzheimer’s advocacy.

MUST READS

A March 10, 2017 New York Times article, penned by writer Shannon Luders-Manuel, speaks about her writing career which she credits to her grandmother, who is now disappearing into dementia. Shannon’s grandmother was her first editor and raised her to love language. Even as dementia descends upon her mind, her grandmother still attempts to critique and edit Shannon’s work, and write down wisps of her own story. “Every now and then during my visit, she sat at her large wooden desk and took out a legal pad,” writes Shannon. “In that space, she seemed to imagine her former self returning, as if a professional atmosphere could reawaken her lost language. I longed to see sentences flow onto the page. But after scribbling two lines in half an hour, she put down her pencil in exhaustion.”

A March 9, 2017 CNBC article reported that scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have been researching the potential for cannabis compounds to target, attack and remove toxic amyloid beta plaque protein before people start showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The amyloid causes inflammation and neuron cell death, contributing to the loss of memory and mental abilities in AD patients. But there have been legal roadblocks to receiving federal funding. "The pharmaceutical companies want to stop the use of cannabis in the research community because it's a natural product, so it can't be patented," according to Dr. David Schubert, Professor at The Salk Institute and senior study scientist. "That's the reason they don't have any incentive to use it (cannabis) in the development of new drugs. They can't make money on it, so they are against it." So far, all requests for removal or rescheduling of marijuana to a Schedule II or III drug have been denied.

MUST WATCH

A March 9, 2017 CBS News segment explores things you can do right now to help protect your brain. CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Jon LaPook, spoke with Rudy Tanzi, PhD, Director, Alzheimer’s Genome Project, and leading researcher in the field at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about the four big categories for Alzheimer’s disease prevention: diet, exercise, sleep and stress reduction, including meditation. Dr. Tanzi also added that continuing to learn new things is extremely important.

INDUSTRY UPDATES

A March 9, 2017 Crain’s guest blog from David M. Downey, Board Chair, Alzheimer's Association-Michigan Great Lakes Chapter, spoke about how the stress of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can impact the workplace, and how business owners have the ability to do the right thing. The burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia negatively affects the health and work performance of caregivers, and also costs companies a lot of money. As employers, they can do several things to alleviate already over-burdened caregivers: openly share their experience with AD or dementia (where applicable), provide information on assistance services, and encourage them to reach out to local support groups.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A March 10, 2017 R&D article explored an alternative hypothesis to the anti-amyloid research that has been the core of Alzheimer’s disease study for the last 25 years. The rethinking is based on the “mitochondrial cascade hypothesis,” and Duke University scientists are focusing on Alu elements, mobile chunks of DNA in mitochondria, the energy factories of the cell. If these so-called "jumping genes" lose their normal controls as a person ages, it could lead to a loss of neurons and ultimately dementia. If Alus disrupt other mitochondrial genes, the could help explain the initial stages of other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's, Huntington's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "We need to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer's," said study co-author, Peter Larsen.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Sign-up for Cultural Awareness in Dementia Care workshop at Aging in America: THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY ON AGING in Chicago, to gain an understanding of the cultural context and norms needed to promote health equity and enhance person-centered dementia care for diverse ethnic and cultural communities. American Indian and Somali cultural consultants will present the results of the cultural infusion of the Minnesota Board on Aging's Dementia Capability training, as well as their experience in working with service providers to strengthen their capacity to provide culturally enhanced services to persons with dementia and their caregivers. Tuesday, March 21, 2017. 9-10:30am. Hyatt Regency Chicago - Roosevelt 1 (East Tower, Bronze Level).