Articles I find interesting, enlightening, cutting edge, etc. Heading dates are the dates I posted the info. Sometimes the dates on the articles are earlier.
This is an outstanding article on Alzheimer's and Dementia! Goes through causes, current treatments (conventional and supplemental). I'll keep it at the top & post new articles below.
Summary and Quick Facts
- Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline that eventually leads to death. Estimates suggest that in the United States alone there will be 11 to 16 million individuals aged 65 and older diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease by 2050.
- A comprehensive approach to Alzheimer’s disease treatment is required that acknowledges and targets the many possible factors underlying the changes in brain structure and function that drive this complex condition. In this protocol, you will learn about theories of Alzheimer’s disease, risk factors, conventional treatment and additional pharmacologic therapies, and the roles of hormone replacement, dietary and lifestyle management strategies, and targeted nutritional therapies.
- While available treatments may slightly improve symptoms, they do not alter the course of the disease. However, natural interventions such as Huperzine A and lipoic acid may help protect cognitive function and promote brain health.
https://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/neurological/alzheimers-disease
12/27/20
LipiDiDiet finds broadly sustainable effects of nutrient intervention in early Alzheimer's
Trial participants who received a multinutrient formulation over an extended period of time showed a significantly less rapid deterioration in cognitive performance than the patients in a control group, who received only a placebo.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/su-lfb103020.php
6/29/20
Antioxidant cocktail key to preventing Alzheimer’s
Research from The University of Western Australia has
found a diet rich in nutrients and antioxidants may prevent or even
reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study,
published in Open Biology, found taking a combination of antioxidants
at increasing doses was more beneficial at preventing the debilitating
disease than any other treatment currently available...
Also same story here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-antioxidant-cocktail-key-alzheimer.htmlA Randomized, Controlled Trial of Bright Light Therapy for Agitated Behaviors in Dementia Patients Residing in Long-Term Care Background: Agitated behaviors are common in dementia patients residing in chronic care settings. Their occurrence may be associated with lack of adequate exposure to sunlight and with circadian rhythm disturbances.
Objective: Prior research has suggested that bright light therapy (BLT) may reduce agitated behaviors in dementia patients. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of BLT in a randomized, controlled, crossover clinical trial.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10440971/
6/28/20
It’s not just Alzheimer’s disease: Sanders-Brown research highlights form of severe dementia
Newswise — The long-running study on aging and brain health at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Center has once again resulted in important new findings – highlighting a complex and under-recognized form of dementia. The work was recently published
Newswise — The long-running study on aging and brain health at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Center has once again resulted in important new findings – highlighting a complex and under-recognized form of dementia. The work was recently published
https://www.newswise.com/articles/it-s-not-just-alzheimer-s-disease-sanders-brown-research-highlights-form-of-severe-dementia?ta=home
Presented with upbeat Alzheimer's agitation data, FDA sees another 'breakthrough' in Axsome's AXS-05
Axsome Therapeutics’ surprise win in a late-stage Alzheimer’s study, unveiled just two months ago, has registered with regulators. The New York-based biotech has notched a breakthrough therapy designation for AXS-05 for the indication, its second after major depressive disorder.
https://endpts.com/presented-with-upbeat-alzheimers-agitation-data-fda-sees-another-breakthrough-in-axsomes-axs-05/
3/9/20
The Alzheimer's Association and Rainwater Charitable Foundation have announced eight grants totaling nearly $4 million in support of drug discovery research.
The grants will support efforts to develop therapies focused on removing or mitigating the effects of abnormal tau, a toxic brain protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and other tauopathies. Previous studies have found that removing or blocking tau "tangles" may help delay, slow, or prevent Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia...
Presented with upbeat Alzheimer's agitation data, FDA sees another 'breakthrough' in Axsome's AXS-05
Axsome Therapeutics’ surprise win in a late-stage Alzheimer’s study, unveiled just two months ago, has registered with regulators. The New York-based biotech has notched a breakthrough therapy designation for AXS-05 for the indication, its second after major depressive disorder.
https://endpts.com/presented-with-upbeat-alzheimers-agitation-data-fda-sees-another-breakthrough-in-axsomes-axs-05/
3/9/20
Nearly $4 Million in Grants Awarded for Alzheimer's Drug Research
The grants will support efforts to develop therapies focused on removing or mitigating the effects of abnormal tau, a toxic brain protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and other tauopathies. Previous studies have found that removing or blocking tau "tangles" may help delay, slow, or prevent Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia...
Nilvadipine and related drugs could slow Alzheimer’s progression
Researchers
have shown that Nilvadipine can slow the rate of cognitive decline in
very early- and early-stage Alzheimer’s patients and have received
funding to develop improved versions.
A clinical trial testing the efficacy of Nilvadipine in Alzheimer’s disease patients has shown that the drug can slow cognitive decline in very early- and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.According to researchers at the Roskamp Institute, US, patients with very mild/early-stage Alzheimer’s treated with Nilvadipine had less cognitive decline over an 18-month period than their placebo-receiving counterparts. Further, those taking Nilvadipine performed better on clinical measures of memory...
https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/114798/nilvadipine-and-related-drugs-could-slow-alzheimers-progression/
Connecting Inflammation and Synapse Loss in Alzheimer's DiseaseWhen immunologist Dr. Wei Cao joined Baylor College of Medicine three-and-a-half years ago, her first project was to investigate how inflammation contributes to Alzheimer's disease."Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. The current understanding is that, in addition to having beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles, the brains of patients with this condition have a marked inflammatory response, and that this inflammation might be more of a problem than protein aggregation itself," said Cao, associate professor of molecular and human genetics and the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor...
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/connecting-inflammation-and-synapse-loss-in-alzheimers-disease-331755
3/8/20
Curcumin is the spice of life when delivered via tiny nanoparticles
Treatment for Alzheimer's and genital herpes
For years, curry lovers have sworn by the
anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, but its active compound,
curcumin, has long frustrated scientists hoping to validate these claims
with clinical studies.
The failure of the body to easily absorb curcumin has been a thorn in
the side of medical researchers seeking scientific proof that curcumin
can successfully treat cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and many other
chronic health conditions...https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200305132144.htm
3/6/20
Protective Alzheimer’s Disease Gene Variants Identified
An analysis of exome sequencing data from more than 10,000 individuals with late onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD; LOAD) suggests that natural variants in tyrosine phosphatase genes may protect against the neurodegenerative disorder by impacting on the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway. This pathway is important for cell survival...
https://www.genengnews.com/news/protective-alzheimers-disease-gene-variants-identified/
Commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s drugs affect activity of anotherTauRx Therapeutics have published a study in an Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse model which demonstrates that drugs currently used to manage the symptoms of the disease interfere with the activity of a drug with an entirely unrelated mode of action.
The preclinical research, published online in Current Alzheimer Research, showed that prior treatment with rivastigmine (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) negatively affected the pharmacological activity of hydromethylthionine which acts on the tau aggregation pathology of AD.
https://pharmafield.co.uk/pharma_news/commonly-prescribed-alzheimers-drugs-affect-activity-of-another/
My thoughts: They are once again off on the wrong track. The conclusion they make is that the reason drug treatment trials aren't working is that they need to test as a monotherapy. This completly ignores that dementia has multiple causes and that the picture is bigger, not smaller. You first have to identify the "why" to determine the treatment. Sure, a drug may work --- for one in ten? fifty? a thousand? Temporarily.
3/5/20
Can an Amino Acid Help to Restore Memories in Alzheimer’s Disease? New Research Sheds Light
Scientists at the Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives (CNRS/CEA/Université Paris-Saclay) and the Neurocentre Magendie (INSERM/Université de Bordeaux) have just shown that a metabolic pathway plays a determining role in Alzheimer’s disease’s memory problems. This work, published on 3 March 2020 in Cell Metabolism, also shows that supplying a specific amino acid as a nutritional supplement in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s restores spatial memory affected early. This is a promising path for reducing memory loss related to that disease...
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/can-an-amino-acid-help-to-restore-memories-in-alzheimers-disease-new-research-sheds-light-331635
Commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s drugs affect activity of anotherTauRx Therapeutics have published a study in an Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse model which demonstrates that drugs currently used to manage the symptoms of the disease interfere with the activity of a drug with an entirely unrelated mode of action.
The preclinical research, published online in Current Alzheimer Research, showed that prior treatment with rivastigmine (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) negatively affected the pharmacological activity of hydromethylthionine which acts on the tau aggregation pathology of AD.
https://pharmafield.co.uk/pharma_news/commonly-prescribed-alzheimers-drugs-affect-activity-of-another/
My thoughts: They are once again off on the wrong track. The conclusion they make is that the reason drug treatment trials aren't working is that they need to test as a monotherapy. This completly ignores that dementia has multiple causes and that the picture is bigger, not smaller. You first have to identify the "why" to determine the treatment. Sure, a drug may work --- for one in ten? fifty? a thousand? Temporarily.
3/5/20
Can an Amino Acid Help to Restore Memories in Alzheimer’s Disease? New Research Sheds Light
Scientists at the Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives (CNRS/CEA/Université Paris-Saclay) and the Neurocentre Magendie (INSERM/Université de Bordeaux) have just shown that a metabolic pathway plays a determining role in Alzheimer’s disease’s memory problems. This work, published on 3 March 2020 in Cell Metabolism, also shows that supplying a specific amino acid as a nutritional supplement in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s restores spatial memory affected early. This is a promising path for reducing memory loss related to that disease...
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/can-an-amino-acid-help-to-restore-memories-in-alzheimers-disease-new-research-sheds-light-331635
3/3/20
Alzheimer's brain 'atlas' may help identify new treatments
A £2m initiative to create an
‘atlas’ of the brain at different stages of Alzheimer’s disease has
been launched at Imperial College London.
This will be the first time that UK brain tissue resources have
been coordinated on such a scale to study Alzheimer’s disease pathology
at every stage of the illness...https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/195818/alzheimers-brain-atlas-help-identify-treatments/
Weston Grant Benefits Sunnybrooks Groundbreaking Brain Disorder Research
A $16.7 million grant from the W. Garfield Weston
Foundation will help revolutionize the treatment of brain disorders such
as Alzheimer’s, ALS and brain cancer.
The grant, made
through the Weston Brain Institute, will establish the Weston Family
Focused Ultrasound Initiative at Sunnybrook.
3/2/20
Tau Shows Promise as Achilles’ Heel for Alzheimer’s and Similar Diseases
My thoughts: not interested in doing this one! What if you are one of those who has the amyloid plaques but will never have dementia? What if taking this drug causes you to increase the tangles as a rebound after you take it? They are really, seemingly, still flying in the dark when it comes to causes and this trial scares me...
Scientists to test Alzheimer's drug before symptoms
Biogen, Sangamo partner to develop genome-editing therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
The drug maker Biogen announced late Thursday that it would license two preclinical drugs from Sangamo Therapeutics, both of which use a genome-editing technology called zinc fingers to regulate the expression of genes involved with neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
For Biogen, the large partnership deal represents a big bet both scientifically and financially that genome editing holds the key to treating diseases that have eluded the best efforts of drugmakers to find effective medicines. For Sangamo, the deal helps to validate the potential of zinc fingers as a genome editing technology at a time when it’s been eclipsed in many ways by CRISPR...
https://www.statnews.com/2020/02/27/biogen-sangamo-partner-to-develop-genome-editing-therapies-for-alzheimers-and-parkinsons-disease/
Can PET Match Up Areas of Protein Deposit With Alzheimer’s Symptoms?
Even though, overall, Alzheimer’s disease robs all people it afflicts of mind and memory, it progresses differently in different people. Its specific symptoms, their sequence, and how fast they worsen can vary quite a bit from one person to another. This used to be a tough nut to crack for researchers, but now, by combining data from multiple PET tracers in longitudinal study cohorts, they are beginning to decipher which regional pathologies provoke particular disease manifestations. The Human Amyloid Imaging conference, held January 15–17 in Miami, showcased the latest findings tying tangles, or plaques, to particular behavioral and cognitive impairments. Intriguingly, links between pathology and subtle symptoms emerged even in people who were still cognitively healthy. The data suggest that multitracer, and also multimodal, brain imaging may eventually allow researchers to predict how disease will progress in a given person...
https://www.alzforum.org/news/conference-coverage/can-pet-match-areas-protein-deposit-alzheimers-symptoms
Alzheimer's Q&A: Are multisensory therapies helpful as behavioral interventions for those with Alzheimer's?
A review in the Journal of Clinical Nursing on the effects of sensory stimulation concluded that most kinds of sensory stimulation reduced agitation, anxiety, aggression, depression and improved the quality of life for those with Alzheimer's.
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/health_fitness/article_e6f30136-525a-11ea-aac4-2bfa908e26b4.html
3/1/20
Dementia & The Bredesen Protocol: Unlocking Prevention Secrets for Alzheimer’s Disease
The advancement of modern medicine and technology has made our lives easier. Our struggle for survival is much less challenging than that of our ancestors. A longer life span does have some drawbacks, however. Our bodies tend to lose function as we age. Aging leads to a rise in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
New and exciting studies show that a functional medicine protocol can lead to a slow down and even prevention of dementia.
Dr. Dale Bredesen, M.D., an expert in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, has developed the Bredesen Protocol which is a functional medicine approach to prevent and treat Dementia. The goal of functional medicine is to give you the tools to take control of how you age...
https://webfmd.com/dementia-the-bredesen-protocol-unlocking-prevention-secrets-for-alzheimers-disease/
My thoughts: I am not alone in saying that the plaques are like ambulances gone wild...they are the result of problems, not the cause...
Alzheimer's mat: Does your gait predict your risk?Nearly 6 million people suffer from Alzheimer's, and the number of related deaths is up 145%.
Early diagnosis is critical for intervention, so Texas
researchers are in clinical trials using a system that measures and
predicts those at increased risk.
"What we are trying to understand is, by examining gait, will we be able to capture very, very early risk?" Dr. Mini Jacob said.
Researchers use a gait mat to measure distance and variability between steps as well as walking speed. Embedded sensors transmit data to a nearby computer, creating a unique walking signature for each participant. Patients follow a direction that stimulates the cognitive part of the brain.
https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Alzheimers-mat-Does-your-gait-predict-your-risk-568295641.html
Biogen and Sangamo Announce Global Collaboration to Develop Gene Regulation Therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Neuromuscular, and Other Neurological Diseases
Tau Shows Promise as Achilles’ Heel for Alzheimer’s and Similar Diseases
The protein, once seen as a secondary player, has taken a leading role in combating neurodegenerative illnesses
Alzheimer’s disease has long been characterized primarily by the buildup
of two proteins in the brain: beta-amyloid and tau. Decades of focus on
beta-amyloid has failed to significantly help patients. So researchers
are turning more attention to the second member of the duo...
My thoughts: not interested in doing this one! What if you are one of those who has the amyloid plaques but will never have dementia? What if taking this drug causes you to increase the tangles as a rebound after you take it? They are really, seemingly, still flying in the dark when it comes to causes and this trial scares me...
Scientists to test Alzheimer's drug before symptoms
SAN DIEGO — Scientists in San
Diego are preparing to screen thousands of people globally to find
candidates who are well-suited to take an experimental drug that is
designed to slow, and possibly stop, the progression of Alzheimer's
disease.
The study will be led
by the University of Southern California's Alzheimer's Therapeutic
Research Institute, or ATRI, in Sorrento Mesa. Researchers are looking
for people who do not have symptoms of Alzheimer's but do have elevated
levels of beta-amyloid...
https://azdailysun.com/ap/national/scientists-to-test-alzheimer-s-drug-before-symptoms/article_1f05b1ca-003a-5483-89f2-739034885e90.html
https://azdailysun.com/ap/national/scientists-to-test-alzheimer-s-drug-before-symptoms/article_1f05b1ca-003a-5483-89f2-739034885e90.html
Biogen, Sangamo partner to develop genome-editing therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
The drug maker Biogen announced late Thursday that it would license two preclinical drugs from Sangamo Therapeutics, both of which use a genome-editing technology called zinc fingers to regulate the expression of genes involved with neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
For Biogen, the large partnership deal represents a big bet both scientifically and financially that genome editing holds the key to treating diseases that have eluded the best efforts of drugmakers to find effective medicines. For Sangamo, the deal helps to validate the potential of zinc fingers as a genome editing technology at a time when it’s been eclipsed in many ways by CRISPR...
https://www.statnews.com/2020/02/27/biogen-sangamo-partner-to-develop-genome-editing-therapies-for-alzheimers-and-parkinsons-disease/
Can PET Match Up Areas of Protein Deposit With Alzheimer’s Symptoms?
Even though, overall, Alzheimer’s disease robs all people it afflicts of mind and memory, it progresses differently in different people. Its specific symptoms, their sequence, and how fast they worsen can vary quite a bit from one person to another. This used to be a tough nut to crack for researchers, but now, by combining data from multiple PET tracers in longitudinal study cohorts, they are beginning to decipher which regional pathologies provoke particular disease manifestations. The Human Amyloid Imaging conference, held January 15–17 in Miami, showcased the latest findings tying tangles, or plaques, to particular behavioral and cognitive impairments. Intriguingly, links between pathology and subtle symptoms emerged even in people who were still cognitively healthy. The data suggest that multitracer, and also multimodal, brain imaging may eventually allow researchers to predict how disease will progress in a given person...
https://www.alzforum.org/news/conference-coverage/can-pet-match-areas-protein-deposit-alzheimers-symptoms
Alzheimer's Q&A: Are multisensory therapies helpful as behavioral interventions for those with Alzheimer's?
A review in the Journal of Clinical Nursing on the effects of sensory stimulation concluded that most kinds of sensory stimulation reduced agitation, anxiety, aggression, depression and improved the quality of life for those with Alzheimer's.
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/health_fitness/article_e6f30136-525a-11ea-aac4-2bfa908e26b4.html
3/1/20
Dementia & The Bredesen Protocol: Unlocking Prevention Secrets for Alzheimer’s Disease
The advancement of modern medicine and technology has made our lives easier. Our struggle for survival is much less challenging than that of our ancestors. A longer life span does have some drawbacks, however. Our bodies tend to lose function as we age. Aging leads to a rise in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
New and exciting studies show that a functional medicine protocol can lead to a slow down and even prevention of dementia.
Dr. Dale Bredesen, M.D., an expert in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, has developed the Bredesen Protocol which is a functional medicine approach to prevent and treat Dementia. The goal of functional medicine is to give you the tools to take control of how you age...
https://webfmd.com/dementia-the-bredesen-protocol-unlocking-prevention-secrets-for-alzheimers-disease/
My thoughts: I am not alone in saying that the plaques are like ambulances gone wild...they are the result of problems, not the cause...
Drug Developers Study People Whose Brains Are Loaded With Signs Of Alzheimer’s Disease But Display No Symptoms
Researchers want to determine what protects them
from the degenerative disease in order to "to mimic what these
resilient people have with some kind of a drug," said Rudy Tanzi of
Massachusetts General Hospital. Public health news is on immunization
laws, military helmet safety, rare cancers, early cancer ideas from Sen.
Bernie Sanders, E. coli outbreaks, childhood mental health, heart
disease, loneliness among seniors, LSD testimonials, music and the
brain, imaging devices and artificial intelligence, and eating
disorders, as well...
Alzheimer's mat: Does your gait predict your risk?Nearly 6 million people suffer from Alzheimer's, and the number of related deaths is up 145%.
"What we are trying to understand is, by examining gait, will we be able to capture very, very early risk?" Dr. Mini Jacob said.
Researchers use a gait mat to measure distance and variability between steps as well as walking speed. Embedded sensors transmit data to a nearby computer, creating a unique walking signature for each participant. Patients follow a direction that stimulates the cognitive part of the brain.
https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Alzheimers-mat-Does-your-gait-predict-your-risk-568295641.html
Biogen and Sangamo Announce Global Collaboration to Develop Gene Regulation Therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Neuromuscular, and Other Neurological Diseases
- Broad collaboration for gene regulation therapies in neurology, initially focused on development of ST-501 for tauopathies including Alzheimer’s disease, ST-502 for synucleinopathies including Parkinson’s disease, and a neuromuscular target, with exclusive rights for nine additional undisclosed neurological targets
- Biogen will pay Sangamo $350 million upfront, including a license fee and an equity investment in Sangamo stock
- Sangamo is eligible to receive up to $2.37 billion in potential milestones, as well as royalties on potential net commercial sales
- Biogen’s access to Sangamo's gene regulation therapies complements its expanding efforts in gene therapy across diverse neurological diseases
Aussie study uncovers major "pathway" to slowing Alzheimer's disease
SYDNEY, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers on Friday said they have replicated a crucial brain process that pointed to a potential pathway in slowing the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Overcoming the loss of a process in the brain called "RNA editing" may slow the progress of the major neurological condition and other synaptic disorders, the University of Technology Sydney said in a statement late Friday.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/29/c_138829373.htm
Can flashing lights treat Alzheimer’s disease?
Researchers discovered in the lab that the exposure to light pulsing at 40 hertz—40 beats per second—causes brains to release a surge of signaling chemicals that may help fight the disease.
Though conducted on healthy mice, the study directly connects to human trials, in which researchers exposed Alzheimer’s patients to 40 Hz light and sound. Insights gained in mice are informing the human trials in collaboration with Emory University.
https://www.futurity.org/alzheimers-disease-flashing-lights-2292372/
New Alzheimer's Treatment: Researchers Discover How Flickering Lights Might Work
https://www.ibtimes.com/new-alzheimers-treatment-researchers-discover-how-flickering-lights-might-work-2930697
2/23/20
Two new grants will help researchers to study neurotechnology, drug delivery system
Two grants will fund interdisciplinary research at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, including a look at how neurons and muscle cells communicate with each other and also to develop a drug delivery system for treatment of Alzheimer's disease...
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200223/Two-new-grants-will-help-researchers-to-study-neurotechnology-drug-delivery-system.aspx
2/22/20
Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet
Animals fed a Western-style diet (WS-diet) demonstrate rapid impairments in hippocampal function and poorer appetitive control. We examined if this also occurs in humans. One-hundred and ten healthy lean adults were
randomized to either a one-week WS-diet intervention or a habitual-diet
control group...
Annovis Issued Patent for Method of Treating Parkinson’s Disease and Other Lewy Body Diseases
...ANVS401 improves axonal transport, the information highway of the nerve
cell, by attacking multiple neurotoxic proteins simultaneously. ANVS401
is the lead compound in the Company’s ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial
for Alzheimer’s disease and in a planned Phase 2a trial for Parkinson’s
disease...
https://mychesco.com/a/news/health-medical/geriatrics/annovis-issued-patent-for-method-of-treating-parkinsons-disease-and-other-lewy-body-diseases/
2/21/20
Switching off aging and inflammation
A recent study from the University of California, Berkeley suggests there may be new ways to reverse current age-related conditions. These findings could have significant implications for rampant age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and even cancer.
Leading the study is senior author Danica Chen, Associate Professor of Metabolic Biology, Nutritional Sciences, and Toxicology at UC Berkeley. Her team first shows that the NLRP3 inflammasome, a large collection of proteins in charge of launching inflammatory responses to bodily threats, could be ‘switched off’ by a molecule removal process named deacetylation. Chen suggests that because overactivation of this inflammasome has been linked to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, and dementia, drugs that involve deacetylating could have practical applications in their treatment...
http://thetartan.org/2020/2/17/scitech/aging
2/20/20
Is Turmeric Good for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Because there are no effective disease-modifying treatments currently available for Alzheimer’s, drugs and other approaches — such as nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals — designed to stop or slow disease progression have become a focus of ongoing research. Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, is an example of a nutraceutical, and it’s one of the few for which several studies have evaluated its potential role in Alzheimer’s...
https://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers-disease/is-turmeric-good-for-alzheimers-disease/
2/21/20
Switching off aging and inflammation
A recent study from the University of California, Berkeley suggests there may be new ways to reverse current age-related conditions. These findings could have significant implications for rampant age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and even cancer.
Leading the study is senior author Danica Chen, Associate Professor of Metabolic Biology, Nutritional Sciences, and Toxicology at UC Berkeley. Her team first shows that the NLRP3 inflammasome, a large collection of proteins in charge of launching inflammatory responses to bodily threats, could be ‘switched off’ by a molecule removal process named deacetylation. Chen suggests that because overactivation of this inflammasome has been linked to conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, and dementia, drugs that involve deacetylating could have practical applications in their treatment...
http://thetartan.org/2020/2/17/scitech/aging
2/20/20
Is Turmeric Good for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Because there are no effective disease-modifying treatments currently available for Alzheimer’s, drugs and other approaches — such as nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals — designed to stop or slow disease progression have become a focus of ongoing research. Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, is an example of a nutraceutical, and it’s one of the few for which several studies have evaluated its potential role in Alzheimer’s...
https://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers-disease/is-turmeric-good-for-alzheimers-disease/
2/19/20
With $3 Million NIH Grant Renewal, Mariana Figueiro Pushes the Frontiers of Light Therapy
Lighting Research Center drills down on how light affects Alzheimer’s and dementia patients
TROY, N.Y. — With the support of a recent $3 million grant renewal from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Mariana Figueiro is perfecting a treatment she developed for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias that helps to regulate sleep and reduce symptoms of depression — and requires no drugs, only light...
https://news.rpi.edu/content/2020/02/18/3-million-nih-grant-renewal-mariana-figueiro-pushes-frontiers-light-therapy
Alzheimer’s: Flickering lights may help fight the disease
Some studies suggest that exposure to flickering lights may help fight Alzheimer's disease. Here's how it works.
...These gamma waves are diminished in people with Alzheimer’s disease...Researchers suggest that exposure to lights flickering may improve gamma-wave brain activity and help eliminate beta-amyloid plaques...
https://www.thehealthsite.com/news/alzheimers-flickering-lights-may-help-fight-the-disease-727908/
Alzheimer’s Disease Protein Clearance Mechanism IdentifiedResearchers in Japan have identified a new quality control system that cells use to remove damaged and potentially toxic proteins—including amyloid β (Aβ) that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—from the extracellular space...
https://www.genengnews.com/news/alzheimers-disease-protein-clearance-mechanism-identified/
Researchers discover how cells clear misfolded proteins from tissues
Researchers in Japan have identified a new quality control system that allows cells to remove damaged and potentially toxic proteins from their surroundings. The study, which will be published February 18 in the Journal of Cell Biology, finds that the Clusterin protein and heparan sulfate proteoglycans combine to bring misfolded proteins into cells for degradation. The findings may lead to new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.
https://phys.org/news/2020-02-cells-misfolded-proteins-tissues.html
Solanezumab
A4 Study: Double Down on Alzheimer’s
...the A4 study aims to use an antibody that helps to clear the amyloid out
of the brain, and hopefully will prevent the memory loss altogether one
day in Alzheimer’s disease...
Precision Molecular Announces Investment by Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation to Support Advancement of More Effective Agents for Imaging Neuroinflammation
"We and others have used radioligands targeting the translocator protein for positron emission tomography (PET) in an effort to measure activated microglia – a hallmark of neuroinflammation – in patients with a variety of putative neuroinflammatory conditions. Unfortunately, that approach is fraught with poor cell selectivity and high variability. The radiotracer being developed by PMI was chosen to offer greater cell specificity with the potential for earlier and more definitive detection of neuroinflammation."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/precision-molecular-announces-investment-alzheimer-120000874.html
2/18/20
Gold nanoclusters: new frontier for developing medication for treatment of Alzheimer's disease
In a new research article published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, scientists at the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology in China explored the possibility of treating with gold nanoclusters.
https://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life-sciences/gold-nanoclusters-new-frontier-for-developing-medication-for-treatment-of-alzheimer-s-disease.html
In a new research article published in the Beijing-based National Science Review, scientists at the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology in China explored the possibility of treating with gold nanoclusters.
https://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life-sciences/gold-nanoclusters-new-frontier-for-developing-medication-for-treatment-of-alzheimer-s-disease.html
2/14/20
Brown researchers to start clinical trial funded by Alzheimer’s Association
Study follows link found between HIV drug, decreased inflammation
...The researchers’ primary goal for this trial is to test an HIV drug called emtricitabine, sold as Emtriva, in older people with Alzheimer’s disease to ensure that the drug is safe and that patients tolerate it well, Salloway said. Their secondary goal is to look at the effect that emtricitabine has on inflammation, memory and daily function...
https://www.browndailyherald.com/2020/02/14/brown-researchers-start-clinical-trial-funded-alzheimers-association/
My thoughts: We know that inflammation is one of the things at the root of many diseases, including AD. Makes sense to look at ways to decrease inflammation. There are many healthy, natural ways to decrease inflammation. Given that the majority of the Western world eats a crappy diet, doesn't exercise, live indoors, don't sleep well drugs are going to be important for that segment (and some of the healthy types, too...taking care of ourselves doesn't eliminate all illnesses, diseases, but it does lower our chances and makes recovering or overcoming easier and more likely!).
EuMentis Therapeutics Inc. Announces Company Launch and Focus on Developing Novel Therapeutics to Treat High Value Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Company outlines EM-036 development plans towards IND filing for Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders -
- EM-036 has demonstrated superior efficacy in preclinical Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders models compared to current standard of care -
- Leveraging $2M in SBIR awards to help fund IND-enabling studies for EM-036 -
- EM-036 has demonstrated superior efficacy in preclinical Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders models compared to current standard of care -
- Leveraging $2M in SBIR awards to help fund IND-enabling studies for EM-036 -
BOSTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 13, 2020 / EuMentis Therapeutics Inc.
("EuMentis" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on
developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of neurological
diseases, outlined plans to advance its lead product candidate, EM-036, a
proprietary nitro-aminoadamantane N-methyl-D-aspartate ("NMDA")
receptor antagonist for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease ("AD") and
Autism-Spectrum Disorders ("ASD"). The Company is leveraging $2M in SBIR
awards to help fund IND-enabling studies for EM-036...
Annovis Bio Announces Update on Phase II Clinical Trial for Alzheimer’s Disease
BERWYN, Pa., Feb. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Annovis Bio Inc. (NYSE American: ANVS), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the Data Safety Monitoring Board has reviewed the safety data, enrollment, participant status, demographic data and vital signs of patients enrolled in their Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and unanimously supported that the study, which is named DISCOVER, continue without modification..."We believe our approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s is unique. There have been over 500 failed attempts at developing Alzheimer’s drugs. But we have taken a different approach by focusing on improving the information highway of the nerve cell..."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/annovis-bio-announces-phase-ii-164050998.html
Cortexyme Provides Regulatory Update for COR388 Development Program in Alzheimer’s Disease- Interim analysis in the Phase 2/3 GAIN Trial expected to occur in Q4 2020
Cortexyme,
Inc. (Nasdaq: CRTX) today provided an update on its clinical
development plans for COR388, the company’s lead investigational
medicine in development for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The company conducted a Type C meeting with the FDA gathering agreement
and feedback on development plans through NDA, including the Phase 2/3
GAIN Trial statistical analysis plan, metabolite characterization,
nonclinical studies, population pharmacokinetics, and drug-drug
interaction studies...
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cortexyme-provides-regulatory-cor388-development-130000403.html2/12/20
Machine Learning Uses EHR Data to Predict Alzheimer’s Risk
Machine learning algorithms analyzed EHR data and accurately predicted the onset of dementia within one to three years of diagnosis.
- Using structured and unstructured EHR data, machine learning algorithms could accurately identify patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
At least 50 percent of older primary care patients living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias never get diagnosis, researchers stated, and many more live with symptoms for two to five years before being diagnosed. Current tests that screen for dementia risk are invasive, time-consuming, and invasive...
https://healthitanalytics.com/news/machine-learning-uses-ehr-data-to-predict-alzheimers-risk
Seminal, highly anticipated Alzheimer’s trial falters
DIAN-TU top-line results negative
Top-line results from the seminal phase 2/3 Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network–Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) study show that the novel drugs gantenerumab (Roche) and solanezumab (Lilly) did not meet the primary endpoint in patients with early-stage, dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease (AD), investigators have announced...https://www.mdedge.com/clinicalneurologynews/article/217223/alzheimers-cognition/seminal-highly-anticipated-alzheimers
2/11/20
An Alzheimer’s Treatment Fails: ‘We Don’t Have Anything Now’
With high hopes, drugs to fight brain plaques were tested in people genetically destined to develop dementia. The drugs failed...Now companies and academic researchers must confront a troubling question: Is it time to move past an emphasis on developing anti-amyloid drugs for Alzheimer’s disease?...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/health/alzheimers-amyloid-drug.html
2/10/20
Added 2/11/20 (Subscription Required to read the ending...)
NIH Awards $4.8M Grant to Project Investigating the Role of ApoE4 Gene Variant in Alzheimer’s
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $4.8-million grant to support a project designed to discover how the ApoE4 gene variant, a known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, induces neurodegeneration. The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) proteins encoded by the APOE gene help in the repair of nerve cells (neurons) upon damage caused by aging or a stroke, among others. The three forms of ApoE proteins are ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4, each encoded by a different APOE allele (different versions of the same gene). ApoE2 is the rarest form and is considered neuroprotective, while ApoE3 is the most common form. ApoE4 is found in approximately 25% of the human population and in two-thirds of those with Alzheimer’...
https://alzheimersnewstoday.com/2020/02/10/nih-4m-grant-project-role-apoe4-gene-variant-neurogeneration-alzheimers/
Added 2/11/20 - San Diego scientists to test drug meant to slow Alzheimer's before symptoms appear
Scientists in San Diego are preparing to screen thousands of people globally to find candidates who are well-suited to take an experimental drug that is designed to slow, and possibly stop, the progression of Alzheimer's disease...Last year, the pharmaceutical companies Eisai and Biogen ended a large Phase 3 trial of the drug aducanumab because it wasn't producing the effects scientists hoped for. Eisai subsequently decided to partner with the National Institute on Aging in funding the new BAN2401 study, which will collectively cost them upwards of $100 million.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-san-diego-scientists-drug-meant.html
My thoughts: They keep trying to get rid of the amyloid plaques...which seems to temporarily help when they get all tangled or they build up. However, they all keep ignoring the fact that there is a reason the plaques build up. Get rid of the causes so they won't come back. And get rid of the plaques. But get to the underlying issues, fix 'em. And what about all the people they've autopsied who didn't have dementia yet had a build-up of amyloid plaques???
Hey, wow, this guy agrees with me on amyloids :-) :::
A Prospective Alzheimer’s Trial Reports
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/02/10/a-prospective-alzheimers-trial-reports
Added 2/11/20 - NIH division awards $2.5M for PET-based Alzheimer's research
The National Institute on Aging has awarded Wake Forest School of Medicine a five-year grant to examine if a novel PET tracer can help researchers tackle Alzheimer’s...Lead investigator Kiran Solingapuram Sai, PhD, said the $2.53 million award will go toward studying if the radiotracer can image microscopic tubes which help define how cells are structured and move in the brain. These microtubules, as they’re known, have been connected to Alzheimer’s progression and may be a key to earlier identification...
https://www.healthimaging.com/topics/molecular-imaging/nih-awards-25m-pet-alzheimers-research
UPDATE 1-Roche drug fails in early-onset Alzheimer's disease study
* Study fails in inherited form of Alzheimer’s
* Roche says 2 additional trials to continue
* 100s of Alzheimer’s drug trials have flopped (Adds details throughout, comment from Roche)
https://www.reuters.com/article/roche-alzheimers/update-1-roche-drug-fails-in-early-onset-alzheimers-disease-study-idUSL8N2AA0QG
Drugs fail to slow decline in inherited Alzheimer's disease
Two experimental drugs have failed to prevent or slow mental decline in a study of people who are virtually destined to develop Alzheimer's disease at a relatively young age because of rare gene flaws
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/drugs-fail-slow-decline-inherited-alzheimers-disease-68881708
...The study tested solanezumab by Eli Lilly & Co., and gantenerumab by Swiss drugmaker Roche and its U.S. subsidiary, Genentech. Both drugs gave disappointing results in some earlier studies, but the doses in this one ranged up to four to five times higher and researchers had hoped that would prove more effective...
Israeli startup hopes to battle Alzheimer’s with enzyme-busting drug
After testing in lab, ProteKt Therapeutics says compound that inhibits the PKR enzyme can lead to cognitive improvements and slow the disease’s progress; road ahead is long
...Nisemblat is aware that the way ahead is long and precarious and because there is no clear, single cause of Alzheimer’s disease there is also “no single target” to aim at in trying to beat the illness.
“The traditional treatments are not beneficial,” he said. The industry has been seeking new ways to slow down the illness’s progression and halt patents’ deterioration...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-startup-hopes-to-battle-alzheimers-with-enzyme-busting-drug/
Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Market SWOT Analysis of Major Industry Segments 2020: Allergan, Eisai Co. Ltd., Novartis AG, Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited, Merz Pharma, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson Services
Market Restraints
Due to the absence of any final treatment drugs currently in the market, the market growth is set to be halted
The high cost of prospective drugs to be marketed has also made the population of the world, to shy away from these drugs
https://technews.mobi/all-news/2020/02/10/alzheimers-disease-treatment-market-swot-analysis-of-major-industry-segments-2020-allergan-eisai-co-ltd-novartis-ag-daiichi-sankyo-company-limited-merz-pharma-pfizer-johnson-jo/
2/8/20
Can Coffee Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Story at-a-glance
- A report revealed coffee could potentially reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions or relieve some symptoms
- The results support past studies that found coffee protects the neurological system, reduces cognitive decline and improves insulin sensitivity
- Rates of Alzheimer's Disease are rising. It is also called Type 3 diabetes, as the effect of insulin dysregulation in the brain may induce changes seen in Alzheimer's Disease
- More possible benefits from coffee include reduced risks of dying early and of contracting certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes; it also may boost athletic performance
- Coffee crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides, so seek out organic selections; consider grinding it at home and drinking it without sugar
2/7/20
Is This Under-the-Radar Stock Set to Succeed in Alzheimer's Disease?
A promising new approach could potentially yield a new drug providing hope for millions of Alzheimer's patients worldwide.
In recent years, scientific evidence forged a link between P. gingivalis infection, more commonly known as gingivitis, and Alzheimer's disease. The scientific thesis for Cortexyme's approach focuses on the discovery that the P. gingivalis bacteria can enter the bloodstream and make its way to the brain, particularly in older individuals and those with a genetic predisposition. Once inside brain cells, also called neurons, the bacteria release a toxic substance called gingipains. The gingipains digest neuronal proteins leading to the death of the brain cell.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/02/07/is-this-under-the-radar-stock-set-to-succeed-in-al.aspx
2/6/20
Toxic protein, linked to Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases, exposed in new detail
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-02-toxic-protein-linked-alzheimer-neurodegenerative.html
The protein tau has long been implicated in Alzheimer's and a host of other debilitating brain diseases. But scientists have struggled to understand exactly how tau converts from its normal, functional form into a misfolded, harmful one. Now, researchers at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute and Mayo Clinic in Florida have used cutting-edge technologies to see tau in unprecedented detail...
Brain Food: Influencing Alzheimer Disease Risk With Dietary Intake
Recently published study data from the community-based Memory and Aging Project (MAP) has suggested that a higher dietary intake of flavonols may be associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer disease dementia.
https://www.neurologytimes.com/alzheimer-disease/brain-food-influencing-alzheimer-disease-risk-dietary-intake
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