Past Conferences
AD/PD™ 2022
March 15-20, 2022 | Barcelona, Spain + Hybrid
ALZFORUM CONFERENCE COVERAGE SERIES
Gantenerumab Prevention Trial in Sporadic Alzheimer’s Begins
“Taking a stab at secondary prevention, the four-year Phase 3 trial will assess the antibody’s ability to slow slippage in 1,200 cognitively healthy, amyloid-positive people.”
TAPAS Anyone? PyroGlu-Aβ Vaccine Shrinks Plaques in Mice
“At the 16th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases held in Barcelona, Spain, and online, Thomas Bayer, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany, described how the new antibody TAP01 binds a β-hairpin structure in soluble pyroGlu-Aβ.”
In First for the Field, α-Synuclein PET. Only for Multiple System Atrophy
“A new tracer detects α-synuclein aggregates in people with multiple system atrophy. Binding is weak, and undetectable in people with other synucleinopathies.”
New Data from Biogen Supports Aduhelm’s Clinical Effectiveness
Biomarkers: a Beacon of Hope for the Future of Alzheimer’s
“AD/PD™ showcased the latest research from the brightest scientists on the subjects. There was a variety of research, but one theme stood out: the promising nature of using biomarkers to diagnose and create personalized treatment plans for Alzheimer’s patients.”
AD/PD™ 2021
March 9-14, 2021 | Virtual Conference
Donanemab Confirms: Clearing Plaques Slows Decline—By a Bit
“The Phase 2 trial provides the strongest evidence yet that removing most amyloid from the brain bolsters cognition, although the benefit is small.”
Astroglial Markers Poised for Stardom?
“A new PET tracer. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein. Two new, promising surrogates for astrogliosis are filling in the Alzheimer’s biomarker toolbox. Both reflect Aβ amyloid better than they do tau tangles.”
Shuttle Unloads More Gantenerumab Into the Brain
“New data presented at the AD/PD conference offer the first evidence that a brain-shuttle strategy can work in people; the lecanemab and aducanumab antibody programs offer small updates.”
N-Terminal Tau Antibodies Fade, Mid-Domain Ones Push to the Fore
“The field is shifting from targeting tau’s tips to its mid-region, especially where tau binds microtubules. Several new candidates are in the clinic; whether the strategy will work remains to be seen.”
Where to Now, Phospho-Tau?
“Researchers envision p-tau-based blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease within a few years, but maybe not a stand-alone test.”
Clinicians from Developing Nations Discuss Dementia in Their Populations
“As life expectancy increases in countries such as Nigeria, Brazil, China, and others, so does the number of people with dementia. How to provide modern care for them?”
New Mouse Models Better Mimic Tauopathy, Alzheimer’s
“Two mouse models presented at AD/PD may hand scientists more translationally relevant tools to explore LOAD pathophysiology and treatment. The tricks: targeted replacement and knocking in multiple GWAS variants.”
For α-Synuclein Immunotherapy, Is Going Later the Key?
“In the negative Phase 2 trial of prasinezumab, populations with more rapid decline benefited; this informed the design of a new Phase 2b study.”
COVID-19 Worsens Neurological Problems, Delirium
“At AD/PD 2021, clinicians discussed neurological symptoms and brain tissue damage in older people who died from COVID-19.”
Clinical Trials in COVID Era: How To Keep Moving Forward
“By shifting to home nursing and telemedicine, clinical researchers kept inching ahead during lockdowns.”
Drop of Hope? No Cognitive Worsening on BACE Inhibitor
“Data from Phase 3 trials of elenbecestat show no harm to cognition, leaving open a chance that the drugs could be used safely in the future.”
“New research implicates IL-6 signaling and even Aβ42 itself as BACE targets, complicating efforts to resurrect BACE inhibitors at a low dose.”
Does Synchronizing Brain Waves Bring Harmony?
“Based on early stage trials, scientists at AD/PD said that light and sound can promote neuronal communication, calm immune cells, and slow brain atrophy. On cognitive outcomes, the jury is still out.”
At AD/PD: More Evidence on Herpes and Alzheimer’s Disease
“Data from France and Germany bolster the proposed link between herpes virus and Alzheimer’s. Infection upped risk in ApoE4 carriers, damaged brain tissue, and correlated with neurodegeneration markers in the CSF.”
In Pilot Study, Electric Therapy Improves Memory
“At AD/PD, researchers reported that low-intensity electric current sent through the brain at gamma frequency restored cholinergic transmission and boosted short-term memory.”
AD/PD™ 2019
March 26-31, 2019 | Lisbon, Portugal
Cure in Mind, Cure in Sight – Bridging Eye and Brain Research
ALZFORUM CONFERENCE COVERAGE SERIES
“Held in romantically beautiful Lisbon, this AD/PD was the biggest thus far, drawing 3,982 attendees from 73 countries”
At AD/PD Conference, New Alzheimer’s Genes Reinforce Known Pathways
“After years of grunt work on next-gen sequencing and expression analysis, geneticists are finally reaping results. The new genes underscore the role of known pathways and cell types in disease.”
Expression, Expression, Expression—Time to Get on Board with eQTLs
“A tool of modern genetics, expression studies link GWAS hits to specific cell types, providing clues to pathogenesis. Microglia come up again and again.”
APP Upp: Mutation Nixes Six Amino Acids from Aβ, Spurs Aggregation
“Presented at AD/PD, the discovery by scientists in Uppsala is the first APP deletion found to cause Alzheimer’s disease. The same group found the Swedish and Arctic APP mutations.”
Parsing How Alzheimer’s Genetic Risk Works Through Microglia
“Scientists at AD/PD 2019 see a Goldilocks of microglial activation: Both too little and too much is bad in an injured brain. How could a therapy make it just right?”
Could CD33 Be the Microglial Target for Stimulating Phagocytosis?
“Inhibiting the receptor activates microglia to mop up debris, making CD33 an attractive therapeutic target.”
Could Greasing the Wheels of Lipid Processing Treat Alzheimer’s?
“Speakers at AD/PD 2019 reported that AD risk factors mess up lipid metabolism in glial cells. In cellular models, speeding the clearance of fats lessened pathology.”
Chimeric Mice: Can They Model Human Microglial Responses?
“By slipping human microglia inside the mouse brain, researchers hope to better monitor their response to pathologies, such as Aβ.”
Spitting, Sniffing: Is This How We Will Dx Parkinson’s?
“Scientists are probing saliva and skin secretions for telltale signs of Parkinson’s disease. Their prize? A diagnostic test at the pre-motor stage.”
ARIAS: Zooming in On Eye-based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s
“Scientists know that the retina changes in people with preclinical AD; alas, there is neither consensus nor convergence in the field of retinal imaging. An upcoming initiative aims to determine which measures are most robust.”
On The Docket at AD/PD: The Many Crimes of ApoE4
“Microglia cleanup, mitophagy, axonal plasticity, blood-brain barrier. A renewed focus on ApoE4 is revealing new ways in which this isoform renders the brain vulnerable to Alzheimer’s.”
Off-Balance Endocytosis Lays Groundwork for Disease
“By aging cultured neurons and manipulating them to stimulate endocytosis or interfere with vesicle release, researchers can bring about characteristics of Alzheimer’s—without adding APP or Aβ.”
Antibodies Against Microglial Receptors TREM2 and CD33 Head to Trials
“As data increasingly blame the microglia response as a driving force in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers are investigating whether tempering these cells will aid cognition.”
Do Immune Cells Promote the Spread of α-Synuclein Pathology?
“At AD/PD 2019, scientists implicated both peripheral and central innate immunity in promoting propagation.”
Forget Fibrils: Lewy Pathology Is More Lipid Than Protein
“An electron microscopy study reveals a jumbled mess of membrane chunks and malfunctioning organelles, bound together by phosphorylated or truncated α-synuclein.”
Keep Your Enthusiasm? Scientists Process Brutal Trial Data
“We are learning” was the tenor of debate about the latest round of setbacks for anti-amyloid trials in symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease at a recent conference in Lisbon.”
BACE Inhibitors: Postmortem on One, Live Updates on Two
“Lanabecestat, elenbecestat, and umibecestat all showed data at the AD/PD conference in Lisbon. Learn what definitely doesn’t work and what might yet.”
Human Microglia Make Themselves at Home in Mouse Brain
“Analysis of a chimeric mouse shows that the cells express the same genes they do in the human brain, survey their environment, and respond to injuries and amyloid.”