Carmel, CA Promising New Alzheimer’s Drug Crenezumab Takes Another Hit

An old woman with a bruised eye and hand on her face.


A new study is out on the controversial drug that recently hit the market to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Roche’s crenezumab, and the results are not good.  The study showed that it did not slow or prevent cognitive decline in a long-running study of Colombian families who carried a genetic mutation that put them at a very high risk of developing the disease.  The drug did not demonstrate a significant benefit in tests measuring cognitive abilities or memory function among study participants.  ‘We’re disappointed that crenezumab did not show a significant clinical benefit,†Eric Reiman, the executive director at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, told USA Today.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother died of this terrible disease.  There are some great people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey at Ryan’s Ranch that can help you if you are dealing with a family member with dementia.  They also have a 24 hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/06/16/closely-watched-alzheimers-study-fails-prevent-advance-disease/7639930001/

50 Year Anniversary Of War On Cancer

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


It was fifty years ago when President Richard Nixon declared a war against cancer when he signed the National Cancer Act while simultaneously increasing funding for cancer research.  At the time, President Nixon said if we could put a man on the moon in eight years, we should be able to do the same with curing cancer.  Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.  About 600K Americans still die from cancer each year and we are a long ways from finding an outright cure.  However, that’s not to say that progress hasn’t been made.  Over the past 50 years, death rates dropped by 70% for childhood cancers, 56% for colorectal cancer and 39% for female breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.  Sadly, painful cancers like pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma—a horrible kind of brain cancer—remain nearly as deadly as they were during Nixon’s rein.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/12/23/cancer-war-screening-genetics/6430979001/?gnt-cfr=1

Alzheimer’s Association Webinar May 4 : Advancing The Science

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


Join Dr. Heather Snyder, VP Medical and Scientific Relations, and Dr. Claire Sexton, Director of Scientific Programs & Outreach, for an Alzheimer’s Association Webinar to learn about the latest developments in Alzheimer’s and dementia science.  The talk will be on Tuesday May 4 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.  To register, click on the link below.  You will then receive a zoom link on May 4.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuC2yu4zSZL4YC32PMfzrUaVgerrl_lgZJJusFrojuoMJJFg/viewform

Carmel, CA Retinal Implants To Restore Sight In Macular Degeneration Patients Shows Promise


A treatment where surgeons implant a tiny device in the retinas of patients which contain stem cells looks extremely promising for those with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  Although it has only been done with 15 patients, many participants have passed the one-year mark with improving vision.  One woman who had the treatment said, “Shortly after the surgery, I turned to my husband while we were watching TV and said, ‘I can see all of their faces!’â€Â  Doctors say FDA approval is about five years away.  To see local specialists in macular degeneration, see links below.

https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/stem-cell-therapy-macular-degeneration-usc-clinical-trial/

https://www.montereyeye.com/our-services/retinal-care
https://www.peninsulaeyecarecenters.com/low-vision.html

 

Monterey, CA High Hopes For New Alzheimer’s Drug

A close up of some blue and yellow cells


There has been so much bad news on the Alzheimer’s front, it was refreshing to read that an experimental treatment from Eli Lilly & Company helped patients.  Granted, it was a small trial of 272 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease, but results show that donanemab met the primary goal of the study, slowing the decline in memory and the ability to perform activities of daily living by 32% over an 18-month period.  Lilly is so excited about the results that it started enrolling another 500 subjects for a new study to confirm the findings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/health/alzheimers-amyloid-lilly.html