Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, investigators are seeing a shift towards remote trials in an effort to avoid participants having to be in-person at a brick-and-mortar site.

Jacobo Mintzer, MD, MPA, discussed a wide range of Alzheimer disease related topics, including the use of methylphenidate, reactions to AAIC, and the aducanumab approval.

The director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed areas of success and those facing challenges for Alzheimer disease clinical trials.

The global head of Neurodegeneration at Roche/Genentech offered her insights on additional analysis of the DIAN-TU trial of gantenerumab and perspectives on biomarker data.

The toolkit’s assays contain several biomarkers, including Aß 1-42, Aß 1-40, α-syn, GFAP, IL-6, neurogranin, NfL, phosphotau181, S100B, sTREM2, total tau, and YKL-40.

The director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine discussed the real-world level of dementia education and where it needs improvement.

The director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine discussed employing the MoCA-T app as a means of cognitive screening in rural and ethnically diverse populations.

The director of the Center for Brain Health at Miami University Miller School of Medicine discussed how much influence people have on lowering their Alzheimer disease risk.

The global head of Neurodegeneration at Roche/Genentech shared insight into the development of the company’s NeuroToolKit and its use in its Alzheimer disease research.

The director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine provided context on greenhouse spaces and their preventive benefits in Alzheimer disease.

The director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine discussed the clinical significance of his findings on neighborhood tree canopy and brain health.

The professor of health science at the Medical University of South Carolina discussed robust results from the phase 3 ADMET 2 study evaluating methylphenidate to treat apathy in Alzheimer disease.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the approval of aducanumab and the potential to address unmet needs and gaps in care for patients with Alzheimer disease.

The approval of aducanumab and other advancements in Alzheimer disease diagnosis remain at the forefront of discussion; Eric Reiman, MD, spoke on the state of diagnosis and those ongoing conversations.

Mike Detke, MD, PhD, chief medical officer, Cortexyme, provided context on atuzaginstat’s high ceiling in Alzheimer disease, its regulatory path, and its unique dental substudy.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the future of blood tests as a biomarker that may help in addressing current challenges, including drug development.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute commented on ongoing research into amyloid plaque-reducing antibody therapies, the approval of aducanumab, and other initiatives with the ability to impact the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the current state of AD trials, as well as his perspective on ongoing efforts to establish prevention therapies.

The chief medical officer of Cortexyme discussed the company’s investigational agent atuzaginstat, its mechanism of action, and the findings of the phase 2/3 GAIN trial.

Cummings and colleagues presented appropriate use criteria for the newly approved Biogen/Eisai agent at the 2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

AC Immune, the company presenting the data at the 2021 AAIC meeting, also recently acquired an a-syn vaccine, Affiris PD01.

Phase 1b study results were presented at AAIC 2021, supporting the need for accelerated clinical development of ACI-24 in Alzheimer disease related to DS.

The assistant professor at Cleveland Clinic discussed key factors to consider when choosing repurposed drugs that could show max potential in treating Alzheimer disease.

The ICARE AD-US trial is expected to enroll 6000 participants, with at least 16% of the population aimed at including those from underrepresented communities. The unrelated confirmatory phase 4 trial is still in the process of being designed.

Clive Ballard, MD, professor of age related diseases at University of Exeter, commented on the potential impact that the approval of pimavanserin would have for patients if approved for dementia-related psychosis.

The effect of methylphenidate on Alzheimer disease apathy was observed at 2 months and was sustained throughout the 6 months of the study.

Participants will be enrolled for 18 months, with baseline data provided and compared to the lecanemab phase 2 study cohort.

The duo from the Critical Path Institute discussed how CPAD is revolutionizing data collection within the Alzheimer disease community and the advantages it brings to clinicians.

Clive Ballard, MD, spoke on safety data presented at this year’s AAIC meeting, as well as the impact of symptoms associated with DRP, which can be distressing for individuals and their families.