IN MEMORIAM

A May 12, 2017 The Chronicle of Philanthropy blurb noted the legacy of Alzheimer's advocate, screenwriter and playwright, Trish Vradenburg, who passed away in April.

USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A May 12, 2017 European Pharmaceutical Review article focused on the push for the FDA to reform its current approach to approving new Alzheimer’s disease treatments, based on analysis from Single Endpoint for New Drug Approvals for Alzheimer’s Disease from ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s (a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s). According to the authors, “We believe a clarified and modernized FDA approval standard for Alzheimer’s disease would catalyze renewed investment in the discovery and development of new medical advances for Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in early-stage companies and for venture investment.” Also covered by World Pharma News.

(ICYMI) A May 10, 2017 Huffington Post article by Stephanie Monroe, Executive Director of AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s and LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Lead, Jason Resendez, paid homage to Trish Vradenburg in honor of her advocacy and philanthropy that ensured people of color were included in the the national conversation about Alzheimer's. Trish’s quest to build a more inclusive AD movement was shaped by her empathy and strategic thinking. She understood that disparities in AD impacting Latinos and African Americans are driving healthcare costs and destabilizing families, who are less likely to receive a diagnosis from a physician and are underrepresented in clinical research. According to Resendez, “Our American character is defined by folks like Trish; she carried the families touched by Alzheimer’s - white, brown, black, you name it - in her heart.”

MUST READS

A May 12, 2017 Tulsa World opinion piece by Robert Thomas applauds the $400 million increase in NIH funding for Alzheimer’s research approved by Congress last week. In particular, he calls out the hard work of Rep. Tom Cole and Sen. Roy Blunt, who gained bipartisan support for Alzheimer’s research as a national priority. 

A May 11, 2017 Harvard Gazette article focused on the work of Robert Moir and Rudolph Tanzi (both of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital), looking at whether amyloid beta plaque in the brain is a response to infection, an idea that has been around since the 1970's. If correct, Alzheimer’s may be classified with other autoimmune diseases where the immune system turns on the body. Moir and Tanzi’s current project, the Brain Microbiome Project, is examining brain bank samples from people who died of Alzheimer’s with those who didn’t, and searching for viruses by scanning for their genetic material.

INDUSTRY UPDATES

According to a May 10, 2017 Reuters article, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision not to rush approval for Eli Lilly's experimental Alzheimer's treatment solanezumab - a drug that turned out to be ineffective - may have saved American taxpayers as much as $100 billion over the past four years, an analysis concludes.”

RESEARCH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A May 11, 2017 AlzForum post spotlighted information shared at the 13th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases held last month in Vienna. Phase 1 and 2 drug trials targeting inflammation, epigenetics, and regeneration are the new focus. The researchers believe the compounds have potential to treat both acute brain injuries, which spark neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. 

FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE DAY

A May 11, 2017 UCLA Newsroom article reported on TimeOut @ UCLA, where student volunteers spend time with seniors who are diagnosed with early dementia due to Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment and other forms of dementia. “Interacting with these seniors puts a face to the patients I hope to treat as a neuropsychologist someday,” said volunteer, Max Goodman. “And I’ve realized that the career path I want truly does have an impact.” TimeOut hopes to recruit other UCLA students to join the effort.

SEX MATTERS 

A May 11, 2017 The New York Times article reported on the disproportionate role of women caregivers for dementia patients, the focus of a new report published in JAMA Neurology journal, “Dementia Care, Women’s Health, and Gender Equity: The Value of Well-Timed Caregiver Support,” authored by fellows at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. When it comes to caring for people with dementia, “the numbers are skewed strongly toward women, and it’s hard to imagine that by 2030 the numbers will even out to 50-50,” said Nicholas Bott, a neuropsychologist and study co-author. “It shouldn’t be an unspoken rule that this falls on certain members of the family, but as of now, it still is falling primarily on the daughters and female spouses more than on men."