Unequal: Some Tau Haplotypes Carry More Risk Than Others
Analysis of 19 H1 MAPT subhaplotypes ties five to progressive supranuclear palsy.
NEWS
Randall Bateman Wins Potamkin Prize
Award recognizes his contributions to basic and clinical research.
NIH Summit Sets Agenda for AD-Related Dementias
Among 20 focus areas, 47 research recommendations cover the gamut from basic science to health disparities.
Getting to Go: GAP-Net Sets Sight on Faster Start
From central IRBs, certified raters, to local transport: Changes large and small are needed to ramp up drug testing in Alzheimer’s.
In Year Three, GAP Trial Network Is Starting to Hum
With three trials and initiatives to boost recruitment, GAP-Net is gaining some traction in the field.
Traumatic Tau: Filaments from CTE Share Distinct Structure
Atomic resolution structures of tau filaments from three people with CTE revealed a common strain of tau induced by chronic head injuries.
Biogen/Eisai Halt Phase 3 Aducanumab Trials
Futility analysis predicts failure to reach primary endpoint.
Is Klotho’s Partner FGF23 a Cognition Protein?
Perturbations in the hormone correlate with memory problems. But does FGF23 act in the brain, or affect cognition indirectly via the kidneys?
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum encourages users to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall, where companies showcase their newest initiatives, products, and services. We welcome Dash Genomics, Inc. and Abcam, which join our other exhibitors — Biogen, BioLegend, BrainXell, NanoString Technologies, and the Jackson Laboratory.
SPOTLIGHT
Biogen/Eisai Halt Phase 3 Aducanumab Trials
On March 21, the companies announced that they would terminate the EMERGE and ENGAGE trials of the anti-Aβ immunotherapy. Interim futility analyses run by an independent data-monitoring committee indicated that neither would meet its primary endpoint. Commentators were disappointed but not surprised at the news, given that the trials enrolled people who already had early dementia. Others expressed some doubt about cognitive signals in an earlier Phase 1B study, and questions about interpreting amyloid PET data. All eyes are now trained on prevention trials.
A Networking Opportunity
Three years after the Global Alzheimer’s Platform (GAP) Foundation launched GAP-Net, a standing network of clinical trial sites optimized for Alzheimer’s drug studies, the group convened last month in Nashville, Tennessee, to compare notes and share best practices. With 73 sites signed on, three trials currently are up and running. What have they learned? Recruitment outreach works best at the local level, but centralizing other aspects, such as IRB approval, is helpful. Standardized contracts and rater training remain sticky issues, and sites better prepare for an onslaught of newly diagnosed early stage patients expect with upcoming Medicare changes. The mostly young audience enjoyed networking with front-line workers from other trial sites. Read Pat McCaffrey’s coverage in two parts.
CTE Tau Filaments Have Distinctive Structure
High-resolution cryo-EM shows that tau filaments riddling the brains of three people with chronic traumatic encephalopathy shared the same core structure with filaments identified in Alzheimer’s or Pick’s disease, but was not identical. Helical CTE tau filaments comprised an ordered core of C-shaped protofilaments, but they also harbored an unidentified molecule nestled within its fold. Researchers think it could be a product of the traumatic origins of this form of tau.
Is Klotho’s Partner FGF23 a Cognition Protein?
Two new papers link too little, or too much, of the hormone to cognitive deficits in mice and to dementia risk in some people, respectively. But are the findings due to an interaction with klotho in the brain, or to FGF23’s known effect on kidney health? Poor peripheral health itself can harm cognition, and some evidence suggests that may be the case here.
Pulsing Tones, Flashing Lights Lessen Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice
Using light and sound to synchronize neuronal firing, researchers induce gamma waves in the brains of AD mouse models. Scientists claim that a week of auditory flicker treatment—with tones that beep at 40-Hz—impels microglia to eat plaques in the auditory cortex and hippocampus and activates astrocytes. Blood vessels also appear to dilate; memory improves. If paired light flashes stimulate the eyes at the same time, the effects reach into the medial prefrontal cortex and cause microglia to cluster around plaques. Translation to people is in the works.
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