Treatments modelled on the cancer drug Gleevec could potentially prevent the formation of amyloid plaques - one of the major hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease according to a study. Treatments modelled on the cancer drug Gleevec could potentially prevent the formation of amyloid plaques - one of the major hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease according to a study published in the journal Nature. Researchers at the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience in the U.S. tested the drug on mice and found that Gleevec has the ability to attach itself to a protein (GSAP)…

KPMG has reached its fundraising target of £1 million for its staff selected people charity, Alzheimer’s Society over one month ahead of schedule with further events still to be held. In 2008, KPMG staff voted for Alzheimer’s Society to be the firm’s main charitable focus. Over the past two years, KPMG staff have been involved in a variety of activities to raise funds to help people with dementia, their families and carers. Offices across the UK have championed the cause through fundraising events, awareness campaigns and volunteering…

An editorial in the journal Lancet debates the problems of drug development for Alzheimer’s disease. The feature questions why so many trials are failing at the phase 3 clinical trial stage and asks whether the animal models used prior to this are the most effective way to test the drugs. It also suggests treatments should perhaps start to focus more on the changes in the brain that happen before symptoms like memory loss start to appear. However, it notes that these are difficult to replicate in animal models…

Although a new surge of scientific research has uncovered telltale signs of Alzheimer’s disease that show up in brain scans and spinal taps, many questions remain unanswered about the clinical value of early testing and the overall direction of patient care, according to Dr. Kenneth S. Kosik, Harriman Professor of Neuroscience Research at the University of California and co-director of UCSB’s Neuroscience Research Institute…

People with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes appear to be at an increased risk of developing plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research published in the August 25, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Insulin resistance, or the stage before diabetes, happens when insulin, a hormone in the body, becomes less effective in lowering blood sugar…

Today, 5.3 million Americans are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and every 70 seconds, another person develops this devastating disease. These numbers will continue to increase with our aging population unless new prevention and treatment strategies are discovered. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may help provide some answers…

All or excerpts from the following statement can be attributed to William Thies, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association Chief Medical and Scientific Officer: The Alzheimer’s Association is disappointed to learn of the negative interim results from the Phase III clinical trial of Semagacestat. People with Alzheimer’s urgently need more and better treatment options for this devastating, fatal brain disease. That said, the Alzheimer’s Association remains optimistic about the future prospects for earlier detection of Alzheimer’s, better treatments and prevention strategies…

This summer, more than 55 researchers participating in the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride(SM) are cycling relay-style across the country, collecting petition signatures asking Congress to make Alzheimer’s disease a national priority. The public response to the petition has been so overwhelming that as the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Riders hit the halfway point in their 67-day route from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. on August 18, they are already more than 80% of the way to their goal of 50,000 signatures…

New research by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) suggests that patients could be missing out on early treatment options for dementia because GPs are failing to diagnose the condition early enough. The study, the first of its kind to analyse life expectancy after dementia is recorded by GPs, also shows that survival rates are much lower for those diagnosed by their GP than those who are actively screened for dementia in research studies…

Achieving personal goals can help people in the early stages of dementia manage their condition, Alzheimer’s Society research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has found. Researchers at Bangor University, Wales found that people who received cognitive rehabilitation felt their performance of daily activities improved. Carers of those receiving the treatment also noted an improvement in their own quality of life…