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☆ Genes known to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s may actually be an inherited form of the disorder, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Among people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, researchers recognize familial forms of the disease and sporadic cases. This shifting appreciation of inherited risk, researchers say, is due to a better understanding of the role of a fourth gene that carries the blueprints to make a lipid-carrying protein called apolipoprotein E, known as APOE. One known as APOE2 is thought to be protective against the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They also compared people with two copies of APOE4 to people with other inherited forms of the disease — early-onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD) and Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease (DSAD). Gene testing isn’t currently recommendedIt is also likely to change how people who carry the APOE4 gene are diagnosed and treated.

Persons: APOE4, ”, Dr, Juan Fortea, Sant, Fortea, Charles Bernick, Bernick, Alzheimer’s wasn’t, isn’t, they’re, ” Fortea, Sanjay Gupta, Reisa Sperling, “, ” Sperling, ” Dr, Sterling Johnson, Johnson Organizations: CNN, Nature, National Alzheimer’s Coordinating, Neurology, Hospital de, Cleveland Clinic Lou, Brain Health, CNN Health, Alzheimer’s Research, Brigham, Women’s, Alzheimer’s, University of Wisconsin Locations: Alzheimer’s, Spain, United States, Santa, Barcelona, Wisconsin

☆ Emma Heming Willis says husband Bruce’s life is still filled with joy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Bruce Willis’ wife has hit out at an online report that “there is no more joy” in her husband’s life. Emma Heming Willis said in a video posted to her Instagram profile on Sunday that she had been “clickbaited” by a headline “to do with my own family.”Appearing angry and frustrated, Heming Willis said she had been “triggered” by the story, which she came across on Sunday morning. Love is a beautiful thing ❤️ Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day 🫶🏽 Emma Heming Willis/InstagramIn an interview last year, Heming Willis admitted that the diagnosis had been tough on her husband, herself and their two daughters. “What I’m learning is that dementia is hard,” Heming Willis told Hoda Kotb on the Today show on NBC. And that is no different for Bruce or myself or our girls.”That said, in a written message accompanying her video, Heming Willis explained that there was a lot more to the family’s situation than many headlines suggest.

Persons: Bruce Willis ’, Emma Heming Willis, ”, Heming Willis, Willis, “ Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Research Locations: FTD

☆ Rare cases of possible Alzheimer’s transmission uncovered in recipients of discontinued medical treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

All five adults had growth hormone deficiency as children and received pituitary growth hormones prepared in a specific way from cadavers. The treatment approach was discontinued after cases of a rare brain disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were found to be associated with the administration of contaminated human growth hormone from cadavers. Although Alzheimer’s is not a prion disease, some separate research suggests that the two proteins that are hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid beta and tau — behave like prions. “This study suggests that in very rare circumstances Alzheimer’s disease may be transmitted between humans via human growth hormone from deceased donors. “I’m also intrigued by how these results may inform potential therapeutic targets and strategies in the future,” Isaacson said, regarding Alzheimer’s disease.

Persons: John Collinge, Jakob, Creutzfeldt – Jakob, Alzheimer’s, ” Collinge, ’, –, ” Dr, Susan Kohlhaas, ” Kohlhaas, “ It’s, Dr, Richard Isaacson, ”, Isaacson, “ I’m, ” Isaacson, “, Gargi Banerjee, ” Banerjee, James Galvin, Sanjay Gupta, ” Galvin, Lewy Organizations: CNN, Nature, University College London Institute, University College London, National Hospital for Neurology, Neurosurgery, Alzheimer’s Research, Science Media, Comprehensive, Brain Health, University of Miami Health, CNN Health Locations: United Kingdom, United States, United, Florida, UHealth, Creutzfeldt

WASHINGTON (AP) — One fall day in 2010, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor slipped into the courtroom where she worked for nearly 25 years to take in an “amazing” sight. That was pretty amazing.”O’Connor lived to see four women serve at the same time on the Supreme Court. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesO’Connor, who left the court in 2006, died Friday in Phoenix of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said. “I had never expected or aspired to be a Supreme Court justice. —-Richard Carelli, a former Supreme Court reporter for The Associated Press who is now retired, contributed to this story.

Persons: Sandra Day O’Connor, O’Connor, “, ” O’Connor, Ronald Reagan, Samuel Alito, wasn’t, John, Donald Trump's, Alito, O'Connor, ”, Sandra Day, Bill Clinton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “ I’m Sandra, Ruth, ” Ginsburg, Barack Obama, Sonia Sotomayor, David Souter, “ It’s, Obama, Elena Kagan, Trump, Amy Coney Barrett, Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Ketanji Brown Jackson, she'd, SCOTUS, ” Ruth McGregor, O’Connor’s, Mary, David Letterman’s, Jon Stewart, John O’Connor, Scott, Brian, Jay, Potter Stewart, Richard Carelli Organizations: WASHINGTON, New York Times, Iraq, College of William, CBS, Supreme, Associated Press Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, Washington, United States, Virginia, Los Angeles

☆ CUNY Halts Investigation of Alzheimer’s Researcher
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | More About Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the start, some scientists were skeptical of simufilam’s purported mode of action and later of Cassava’s reports of improvements among its clinical trial participants. Following accusations in 2021 that Dr. Wang and Cassava may have manipulated data, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Institutes of Health began investigating the research. A committee convened by CUNY also began an investigation into Dr. Wang’s work and his lab’s finances over two decades. CUNY declined to comment on the document at the time but said it would formally release the report this month. Since then, critics have questioned the objectivity of the investigators and the veracity of their descriptions of Dr. Wang’s responses to the inquiry.

Persons: Wang, Wang’s, Burns Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, National Institutes of Health, CUNY, Science

☆ Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Judith Graham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Quest Diagnostics blood test, AD-Detect, measures elevated levels of amyloid-beta proteins, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s researchers and clinicians aren’t convinced the Quest test is backed by sound scientific research. Though blood tests for Alzheimer’s are likely to become common in the years ahead, the Alzheimer’s Association said it’s premature to offer a test of this kind directly to consumers. Because the science behind blood tests for Alzheimer’s is still developing and because “patients may not really understand the uncertainty of test results,” Edelmayer said, the Alzheimer’s Association “does not endorse the use of the AD-Detect test by consumers.”Quest’s blood test is one of several developments altering the landscape of Alzheimer’s care in the United States. The bottom line: Before taking a test, “older adults need to ask themselves, ‘Why do I want to know this?

Persons: aren’t, Alzheimer’s, Michael Racke, ”, there’s, Suzanne Schindler, St . Louis, That’s, ” Schindler, Racke, Meera Sheffrin, —, Rebecca Edelmayer, ” Edelmayer, Eric Widera, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Emily Largent, ’ ”, Munro Cullum Organizations: Health, Diagnostics, Alzheimer’s Association, Quest, University of Michigan, International Conference, Washington University School of Medicine, Senior, Stanford Healthcare, The University of Michigan, FDA, National Institute, Aging, University of California, Get CNN, CNN Health, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, HIPAA, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: U.S, San Diego, St ., United States, San Francisco

☆ Alzheimer’s Researcher Found to Have Committed Misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Nidhi Subbaraman | Joseph Walker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/alzheimers-researcher-found-to-have-committed-misconduct-49d6428d

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, shares update on star's condition
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —It’s “hard to know” whether Hollywood star Bruce Willis is aware that he is suffering with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his wife, Emma Heming Willis, has said in an update on his condition. Speaking to Hoda Kotb on the Today show on NBC Monday, Heming Willis described how the diagnosis has affected the couple and their two daughters. Kotb also asked how the diagnosis had affected Heming Willis. After retiring from acting in March 2022 due to a speaking disorder called aphasia, Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family announced in February this year. “Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed,” the Willis family said in a statement at the time.

Persons: Bruce Willis, Emma Heming Willis, Kotb, Heming Willis, It’s, Bruce, ”, ” Kotb, ” Heming Willis, Susan Dickinson, Dickinson, “, it’s, Mabel, Evelyn, ” “ Bruce, Willis Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, NBC, Association, Alzheimer’s Research, US National Institute, Aging

☆ University Departures Put Student Journalists in Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Baker, 18, resurfaced claims in a Nov. 29 article for The Stanford Daily that neuroscience research papers in which Dr. Tessier-Lavigne was listed either as principal author or co-author had altered imagery. The claims had been repeated over the years on PubPeer, a website that allows scientists to discuss research. The next day, Stanford University opened an investigation into Dr. Tessier-Lavigne with a panel of outside scientists. Dr. Tessier-Lavigne denied those claims. “That allegation appears to be mistaken, as Genentech has stated,” the panel’s report said, though it noted “multiple problems” with the 2009 study.

Persons: ”, Theo Baker, . Baker, Tessier, Lavigne, Lavigne “, Genentech, . Tessier Organizations: Stanford Daily, Stanford, Stanford University

☆ Lilly drug slows Alzheimer's by 60% for mildly impaired patients in trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Lilly expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide by the end of this year whether to approve donanemab. The company had previously reported that 24% of the overall donanemab treatment group had brain swelling. The deaths of three trial patients were linked to the treatment, researchers reported. For high tau patients, donanemab was shown to slow disease progression by about 17%, while the benefit was 35% for those with low-to-intermediate tau levels. Both medications are also being studied in large trials to see if they have an impact on delaying onset of Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

Persons: Seth Gale, Brian Snyder, Eli Lilly, Anne White, Lilly, Susan Kohlhaas, Liana Apostolova, White, Liz Coulthard, donanemab, Deena Beasley, Ludwig Burger, Will Dunham, Bill Berkrot, Caroline Humer Organizations: Alzheimer Research, Brigham, Women’s, REUTERS, Alzheimer's Association International, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Alzheimer’s Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Doctors, University of Bristol, JAMA, FDA, Alzheimer's Association, Health Organization, New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Amsterdam, Eisai

☆ Rare success for Alzheimer's research unlocks hope for future therapies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Eisai and Biogen are scheduled to present full data from their lecanemab study on Tuesday at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease conference in San Francisco. Lecanemab’s success rests on years of research into the causes of Alzheimer’s as well as advances in measuring amyloid deposits through brain scans and spinal fluids. At least 16 treatments are being tested in clinical trials, with results expected over the next three years, according to a Reuters review of the clinicaltrials.gov registry. The drugmaker has been largely absent from the Alzheimer's space after the high-profile failure of its drug verubecestat five years ago. But several antibody therapies from Lilly, Biogen and AbbVie(ABBV.N) that were designed to slow the rate of tau accumulations failed outright last year.

☆ Experimental Alzheimer's drug: After promising data, experts say many questions remain
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-04 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The experimental Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab made big news last week when the companies testing it released trial results that showed the drug met its goals, making it one of the first dementia drugs to return positive results. By some counts, lecanemab is the 16th drug that’s been developed to clear toxic amyloid plaques from the brain. Or did the companies that are testing it – Biogen and Eisai – run a smarter clinical trial that finally showcased the potential of these kinds of medications? Clinical trial results were mixed, with only one showing a small benefit to patients. He says he might change his mind if analysis of the clinical trial shows that one group of people got more of a benefit than others.

☆ Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Disease Progression in Trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Joseph Walker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Eisai's headquarters in Nutley, N.J.; the company said it would present more detailed study results in November at an Alzheimer’s research conference. Eisai Co. and Biogen Inc. said their experimental Alzheimer’s disease drug significantly slowed progression of the memory-robbing disease in a large study, bolstering the drug’s prospects for approval. The pharmaceutical companies said their drug lecanemab reduced cognitive and functional decline by 27%, compared with a placebo, over 18 months in a Phase 3 study of 1,800 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The drug was also linked to higher rates of brain swelling and small bleeds, though the company said they were rarely symptomatic.

☆ Biogen’s $11 bln Alzheimer’s gain has cushion
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - An effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease has long been the holy grail for drug companies. The $11 billion pop in Biogen’s (BIIB.O) market capitalization on Wednesday morning looks impressive but implies some skepticism that Japan’s Eisai (4523.T), and its partner Biogen, have found it. If the drug is priced at $20,000 a patient annually after discounts, it implies around 330,000 take it. Considering the disease affects far more people globally and there are no effective treatments, this seems like a low bar. Eisai will present the study’s results in late November and said it will publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal.

As yet another Alzheimer's drug targeting plaque buildup in the brain fails to improve cognition in patients, leading scientists said a significant shift is underway in the search for effective treatments for the disease. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million, according to an estimate from the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease is often referred to as “Type 3 diabetes,” a brain-specific form of diabetes that is the result of the brain’s neurons lacking glucose, said John Didsbury, the CEO of T3D Therapeutics. Data from the longest-ever phase 3 trial of exercise on cognition released at the conference on Tuesday found that exercise may stall cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. He said it’s only a matter of time before we see more research discoveries that show potential for slowing Alzheimer’s disease, possibly within the next year or two.

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