May 24, 2013

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

The need for more basic Alzheimer's research, ground breaking EU Alzheimer's drug trial, and the speaker lineup for the 2013 Alzheimer's Disease Summit: The path to 2025 (read more)

Must read
  • A May 23, 2013 Scientific American article reported that multiple research teams have been unable to replicate a finding of a 2012 study that showed how an existing cancer drug, bexarotene, reversed signs of Alzheimer's disease in the brains of mice. According to the article, "Other researchers say the contradictory results suggest that much more basic research is needed before bexarotene is used to treat Alzheimer's. “The mechanism of action behind bexarotene has not been proven,” says Kevin Felsenstein, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, and a co-author of one of the dissenting papers." Also reported on by ReutersThe Wall Street JournalUS News & World Report, and others. 
 
International 
  • A May 23, 2013 MexicalXpress.com article reported on a "ground-breaking" human drug trial in Europe to determine whether blood pressure medication can slow the progression of Alzheimer's. According to the article, the project is funded through the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and, if successful, "could represent an advance in the treatment of AD patients. Most importantly it would have a major impact on the health and social care costs incurred in Europe by this neurodegenerative disorder."
 
Upcoming Events 
  • A May 23, 2013 post by the New York Academy of Sciences outlined speakers for its November 6-7 Alzheimer's Disease Summit: The path to 2025. According to the post, speakers include USA2's George Vradenburg, LEAD's Ian Kremer, and representatives from academia and the pharmaceutical industry.