CONFERENCE COVERAGE SERIES
Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2017
London, England
16 – 20 July 2017
What went down in London town during the AAIC meeting? Whether you were there or could not go this year, Alzforum reporters captured the highlights. Read about a promising plasma Aβ assay that flags people who have brain amyloid plaques, raising hope for faster, cheaper, less-invasive screens for therapy studies. Witness a bidding push for primary prevention trials, as well as an official call to be ambitious on modifiable risk factors. New variants of microglial genes emerged, as did basic science proposing that the AD brain is filled with a “cloud” of different Aβ strains.
Finally, a Blood Test for Alzheimer’s?
At AAIC, researchers debuted a method that detects changes in plasma Aβ42 in people with brain amyloid. If confirmed, a widely available screening test for presymptomatic AD could follow.
In Clinical Use, Amyloid Scans Change Two-Thirds of Treatment Plans
Interim data from IDEAS study find that amyloid PET has a greater effect in real-world practice than in research settings. Nearly half of people diagnosed with AD did not have the disease.
Searching for New AD Risk Variants? Move Beyond GWAS
At AAIC 2017, researchers presented new approaches to find genetic variants linked to AD risk and to understand their contributions to disease.
Monomeric Seeds and Oligomeric Clouds—Proteopathy News from AAIC
In London, researchers claimed that a monomer is the minimal structure required for tau strains. On the other hand, the sky seems the limit for the number of Aβ strains that form in an individual brain.
Planning the First Primary Prevention Trial for Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers will enroll young adults who carry familial AD mutations in the first trial of a mechanism-based, investigational drug to try to prevent amyloid from depositing in the brain.
New Dementia Trials to Test Lifestyle Interventions
Scientists at AAIC described a large, multidomain intervention trial in the United States to test if lifestyle changes can stave off cognitive decline. YMCAs nationwide are in on the project; similar trials are in the works in other countries.
Lancet Commission Claims a Third of Dementia Cases Are Preventable
Report details ways to improve care of people who have dementia, argues for societies to implement ambitious prevention strategies, but offers only reduction of hypertension as a plausible intervention.
CSF and Brain Markers Highlight Different Facets of Dementia
Researchers at AAIC described different correlates of CSF and PET measures of Aβ and tau.
All Signs Point to Tau Tangles as the Culprit in Fading Memory
Researchers at AAIC reinforced the idea that tau pathology drives cognitive decline, although amyloid plaques were implicated in semantic memory deficits.
New Ties between AD and the Stages, Waves, and Molecules of Sleep
At AAIC 2017, scientists offered new clues on sleep and AD neuropathology. They identified parts of the brain that may be involved and highlighted the benefits of treating sleep disorders.
Data from DIAN Revise Familiar Biomarker Trajectories
Rather than changing one by one, many biomarkers—including cognition, tau PET, hippocampal atrophy, and CSF p-tau—shift together, around the time of symptom onset in young adults with familial AD.
Longitudinal Data Say: Nope, CSF Markers Do Not Track Progression
AAIC presentations identified early imaging changes in aging and AD, and reinforced the idea that CSF markers change little over the short term.
Teasing Out the Brain Features Behind Cognitive Reserve
Researchers at AAIC presented several imaging measures that may help explain the phenomenon of preserved cognition in the face of AD pathology.
At AAIC, Yet Another Phase 3 Flop While Phase 1 Trials Forge Ahead
Idalopirdine is out. Next up, a handful of secretase inhibitors, other small molecules, and immunotherapies for Aβ and tau seem safe in Phases 1 and 2.
At AAIC, Encouraging Safety Data on a Variety of Small-Molecule Candidates
Three BACE inhibitors, a γ-secretase modulator, and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor appeared safe in Phase 1 trials.
High-Dose Aβ and Tau Immunotherapies Complete Initial Safety Tests
Phase 1 clinical data presented at AAIC 2017 suggest few serious adverse events.