How to Diagnose Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms Emerge

Calendar November 29, 2022 | Posted by admin

A large study led by Lund University in Sweden has shown that people with Alzheimer's disease can now be identified before they experience any symptoms. It is now also possible to predict who will deteriorate within the next few years. The study is published in Nature Medicine, and is very timely in light of the recent development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease.

It has long been known that there are two proteins linked to Alzheimer’s – beta-amyloid, which forms plaques in the brain, and tau, which at a later stage accumulates inside brain cells. Elevated levels of these proteins in combination with cognitive impairment have previously formed the basis for diagnosing Alzheimer's.

“Changes occur in the brain between ten and twenty years before the patient experiences any clear symptoms, and it is only when tau begins to spread that the nerve cells die and the person in question experiences the first cognitive problems. This is why Alzheimer's is so difficult to diagnose in its early stages”, explains Oskar Hansson, senior physician in neurology at Skåne University Hospital and professor at Lund University.

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New Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Cognitive Decline by 27%

Calendar September 28, 2022 | Posted by admin

A new Alzheimer’s drug from Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and US drugmaker Biogen has shown promising results in a large-scale clinical trial. The companies announced the trial’s success in a press release, saying their drug — called lecanemab — was observed to have slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients by 27% over 18 months.

The companies said 1,795 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s were randomly selected to receive a placebo treatment or doses of lecanemab every two weeks. Their cognitive decline was then measured on six fronts, including “memory, orientation, judgment and problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care.” According to the statement, lecanemab significantly “reduced clinical decline” over the 18-month timeframe.

Lecanemab, per Eisai, is a monoclonal antibody treatment, which targets toxic amyloid plaques — protein clumps that researchers proposed were the cause of the neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer’s.

The companies noted that around 21% of the patients who received the lecanemab treatment experienced brain swelling that was visible on PET scans.

“Today’s announcement gives patients and their families hope that lecanemab, if approved, can potentially slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and provide a clinically meaningful impact on cognition and function,” said Michel Vounatsos, Biogen‘s chief executive officer in the companies’ joint press release.

Eisai’s chief executive Haruo Naito said in the company’s press release that the lecanemab study’s success was “an important milestone for Eisai in fulfilling our mission to meet the expectations of the Alzheimer’s disease community.”

Source: https://investors.biogen.com/
AND
https://www.businessinsider.com/

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