Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

Approved medication memantine could be used as a preventive treatment to help stop or delay Alzheimer’s disease progression in people at risk, a University of Virginia study suggests. Memantine, which is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and marketed as Namenda by Allergan, is…

The buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain is not sufficient on its own to cause the death of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a new study that challenges current views on how the disease progresses. Researchers have widely believed that beta-amyloid drives nerve cell death in Alzheimer’s, but these…

Drinking alcohol, especially in excess, may hinder the brain’s natural ability to clear itself of amyloid beta protein plaques, the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease, a study in rat cells implies. “Our results … suggest that alcohol consumption may represent a risk factor for development of amyloid burden,” the researchers wrote.

ProMIS Neurosciences announced plans to initiate the development of its lead antibody candidate, PMN310, as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The investigational therapy is expected to enter clinical Phase 1 trials in 2019. PMN310 is a humanized antibody that attacks only toxic forms of the amyloid beta protein linked to Alzheimer’s, not its…

Medications for type 2 diabetes may help treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s, as these two conditions share common disease mechanisms, according to recent research. Fernanda De Felice, PhD, an associate professor at Federal University Rio de Janeiro, Brazil presented her team’s findings, titled “Molecular connections between Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes,”…

A Phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Longeveron’s allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (LMSCs) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease is currently looking for participants, the biopharmaceutical company announced. Eligible participants must be between 50 and 80 years old, with a confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease…

Alkahest‘s Phase 2 clinical trial testing GRF6019 — an experimental blood-derived protein — in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease has dosed its first participant, the company recently announced. The trial (NCT03520998), which will assess the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of GRF6019, is still recruiting participants. Researchers expect…

The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is searching for participants to enroll in one of the largest and longest trials on Alzheimer’s disease. This ongoing study aims to develop biomarkers for the early detection and tracking of Alzheimer’s over time. Researchers need to enroll approximately 800 participants,…

A stem cell therapy developed by the biotech company Nature Cell and the Biostar Stem Cell Research Institute, both based in South Korea, has been formally approved in Japan and is now available there to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease patients. This is the first time ever that a stem cell therapy for…

A simple test of amyloid-beta protein levels in a person’s blood may offer a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease up to eight years before any clinical symptoms are evident, a study shows. The study, “Amyloid blood biomarker detects Alzheimer’s disease,” was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.