November 25, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

MUST READS

A November 25, 2015 Huffington Post article by Marie Marley highlighted a new book that “offers hope for Alzheimer’s caregivers.” According to the article, “This volume will give you hope in the midst of the darkness of Alzheimer's. Our premise is that if you can come to terms with your loved one's condition, you can free yourself to experience joy during your interactions. There are also many stories, drawn from our personal experience, that narrate our own joyous interactions with our loved ones.” 

A November 24, 2015 The Washington Post article reported that two new studies highlighted potential risks associated with 21st Century Cures legislation. According to the article, “A bill that hopes to address this need sailed through the House in the summer with the goal of getting more "21st Century Cures" through the drug approval pipeline. But a pair of new studies found that speeding up this process could put drugs that are ineffective or harmful on the market. At least for complex neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and depression, recent history suggests that approving drugs faster based on biomarkers — early signs that a drug could be working — might make drugs that ultimately don't work available to patients, two teams of researchers found.” Also reported on byFierceBiotech

A November 24, 2015 The San Antonio Business Journal article reported that the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will receive $1 million to establish “a comprehensive Institute for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Disease at the Health Science Center, which will serve a estimated 55,000 patients and caregivers in San Antonio and South Texas.”


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A November 24, 2015 WebMD.com article reported that new research in animals suggests that amyloid beta protein plaques might slow the brain's blood flow. According to the article, “Buildup of the amyloid beta protein clumps could harm the brain in multiple ways, according to a team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.”

A November 24, 2015 AlzForum.org interview with Alzheimer’s researcher Steven Ferris highlighted the proliferation of Alzheimer’s trial outcome measures. According to the article, “The field is in the middle of a transition, where a handful of trial sponsors have already used the revised diagnostic criteria and tried different outcome measures, and others are watching them closely to see what works and what doesn’t. Meanwhile, the doors of research have swung wide open for biostatisticians and neuropsychologists to come up with altogether new tools. Weighting the strengths and weaknesses of outcome markers creates an alphabet soup of a conversation. CDR-sb, MMSE, NTB, FCSRT, RBANS—confused yet?” Steven Ferris directs the Clinical Trials Program and co-directs the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at New York University.