Joana Fernandes, PhD,  —

A special issue of PLOS Medicine that covers a broad range of new Alzheimer’s and dementia studies underscores the importance of a holistic, personalized-care approach to treatment, according to a California health care provider that promotes that approach. AFFIRMATIVhealth uses information from the latest research on these neurodegenerative conditions to…

People who have trouble detecting details in a test with figures may be at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life, according to a new study. This finding suggests that subtle changes in cognition may be identified long before more common symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear. The study, “Family History of Alzheimer’s…

Antibodies that ProMIS Neurosciences created to target molecules associated with Alzheimer’s inhibit the accumulation of the amyloid beta protein that is a hallmark of the disease. The company’s researchers used two computer algorithms, ProMI and Collective Coordinates, to predict amyloid beta misfolding and five disease-specific targets for antibodies, according to a presentation…

ALZ-801 may be a safe and effective treatment for Alzheimer’s patients with mild disease who carry two copies of the APOE4/4 gene, results of a clinical program indicate. The results are being disclosed in four presentations by the drug’s developer, Alzheon, at the 13th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, taking…

Transdermal (through the skin) delivery of Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride) may be as effective as the drug’s oral form, according to results of a pilot bioequivalence (BE) study conducted by Corium International. Aricept in tablet form is one of the only drugs approved for Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. for patients…

Abnormal levels of calcium in the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse, may lead to neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to researchers at Temple University’s Center for Translational Medicine. Scientists presented their study, “Imbalance of calcium in a cell’s energy factory may drive Alzheimer’s disease,” at the 61st Meeting of the Biophysical Society,…

Israel’s Neurim Pharmaceuticals is now recruiting up to 500 U.S. patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease for a Phase 2 trial to study the safety and efficacy of its experimental drug, piromelatine. Alzheimer’s is caused by the accumulation of faulty proteins that lead to the formation of beta-amyloid plaques, which greatly…

Roche and MorphoSys will partner on experimental Phase 3 clinical trials to study the effectiveness and safety of gantenerumab in patients with early to mild Alzheimer’s disease. Roche, a Swiss global healthcare company, will start preparing two studies soon, according to MorphoSys, a German biotechnology company that developed gantenerumab. The trials will…

Increased blood sugar levels may lead to Alzheimer’s disease by damaging a protein that is essential in fighting the disease’s early stages, a new study indicates. The report, “Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor is subjected to glucose modification and oxidation in Alzheimer’s Disease,” appeared in the journal Scientific Reports. Diabetes is a…

Merck is calling off its Phase 2 and 3 EPOCH trial of verubecestat as a treatment for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease because preliminary results indicate it is not effective. The decision was made after an external review board known as the Data Monitoring Committee (eDMC) reported there was “virtually no chance of finding…