USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A May 29, 2018 Morning Consult opinion piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder and Chairman George Vradenburg stressed the importance of patient and caregiver voices in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. It’s important to understand, “What are the daily challenges you face? What do you want most? What trade-offs are you willing to accept for an effective drug? How have your needs and perspectives changed as the disease has progressed?” The answers to these questions can guide research priorities, product development, trial design and regulatory approval.

A May 28, 2018 Diverse Elders Coalition blog post by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s (a UsA2 network) Lead Jason Resendez looked at the power of technology to disrupt Alzheimer’s disease through leveraging big data, machine learning and digital technologies. Artificial Intelligence offers promising new ways to detect AD in asymptomatic patients. Simple technologies such as texting can raise awareness and provide education to at-risk communities. According to Resendez, “As we develop data and tech focused-strategies to improve public health outcomes, we must keep equity and access top of mind. Our ability to harness technology to narrow disparities in healthcare could lead to healthier and more prosperous communities. Nowhere is this needed more than in the fight to stop Alzheimer’s.”

MUST READS

According to a May 29, 2018 MedPage Today article, personalized medicine was a key theme at the recent NIA 2018 Alzheimer's Disease Research Summit. The Summit included discussions on the relationship of diet and cognitive decline, and the effects of exercise in people with mild memory problems. According to the article, “The summit emphasized a "big push to understand people with Alzheimer's in a multidimensional way" and focused on research to develop new therapeutic targets.”

DISPARITIES SPOTLIGHT

A May 29, 2018 Chicago Tribune article looked at the rising numbers of Latinos in Illinois with Alzheimer’s disease. Latinos are 50 percent more likely than whites to develop AD and research shows that by 2060, the number of Latinos in the U.S. with the disease is projected to increase 832 percent. According to Alzheimer’s expert David X. Marquez, who is a partner of LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s (LAA), “It’s affecting Latinos a lot. And I’m not sure that people really know it’s the problem that it is.” The Latino Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Alliance (also a LAA partner) coordinates music and dance therapy programs for caregivers at a community center in Melrose Park.

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE

A May 27, 2018 Express article reported that a human study will begin this week in the UK, France and Spain on ORY-2001, a drug which has repaired DNA damage in mice. The drug stops inflammation in the brain, restores memory and reverses behaviors such as aggression. The 26 week study, for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, will be rolled into future trials.