Dr. Neil Buckholtz of the NIA discusses ADNI in a summary of the recent presentations at the AAIC in Copenhagen and other Alzheimer’s research news.

From early morning to late evening, at symposium and plenary sessions, during poster sessions and coffee breaks, at add-on meetings and consortium sessions, some 4,300 investigators from 75 different countries shared recent findings and explored ways to overcome the challenges of finding ways to treat or prevent this complex disease.

A team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), Weill Cornell Medical College, and Brandeis University has devised a wholly new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease involving the so-called retromer protein complex.

Retromer plays a vital role in neurons, steering amyloid precursor protein (APP) away from a region of the cell where APP is cleaved, creating the potentially toxic byproduct amyloid-beta, which is thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

Incisive article from the NIA on challenges and new strategies for patient recruitment into AD clinical trials.

In this article we explore recruitment issues, including those unique to Alzheimer’s studies, and we suggest concrete steps such as establishing a structured consortium linking all of the registries of Alzheimer’s trials and establishing new partnerships with community and local organizations that can build trust and understanding among patients, caregivers, and providers.