August 28, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Rupert Murdoch and other prominent Australians to fund Alzheimer's research, Korean startup raises funds for wearable Alzheimer's tech, and MIT researchers have unlocked some secrets about how the brain attaches emotions to memories and how those emotions can be adjusted (read more). 
 

Must reads

  • An August 28, 2014 Pro Bono Australia article reported that "Prominent Australian philanthropists, through the Myer Family Company, have announced a $10 million philanthropic push to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease." According to the article, "Through their Yulgilbar Foundation, Sarah Myer and Baillieu Myer, the son of Sidney Myer, have called for donations from other philanthropists. They said they would match any donation offered, with Rupert Murdoch and Lindsay Fox becoming the first to pledge. Along with their philanthropic announcement the Myer Family has  also unveiled post-doctoral excellence awards to top-up the salaries of five young researchers who are working to cure, prevent or slow down the advancement of Alzheimer’s."
  • An August 27, 2014 Tech Crunch article reported that Ybrain, a Korean startup that makes wearables for Alzheimer’s patients, announced it has raised $3.5 million in Series A funding led by Stonebridge Capital. According to the article, "The company was founded in 2013 by Kyongsik Yun, a neuroscientist who trained at the California Institute of Technology, and engineers from Samsung…Ybrain wearable device consists of a headband with two sensors embedded in the front that emit electronic signals at 2-milli-amperes, which stimulate brain activity to counteract the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The device is supposed to be used for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and can be worn at home. The headband is also intended for use by people with “mild cognitive impairment.” The startup’s clinical trials currently show that its wearable devices are 20 percent to 30 percent more effective than existing oral medication for Alzheimer’s patients. “This was key to our funding,” says Kim."
  • An August 27, 2014 New York Times article reported that "...using a technique in which light is used to switch neurons on and off, neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology appear to have unlocked some secrets about how the brain attaches emotions to memories and how those emotions can be adjusted." According to the article, "Their research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, was conducted on mice, not humans, so the findings cannot immediately be translated to the treatment of patients. But experts said the experiments may eventually lead to more effective therapies for people with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder." Full article attached.