Alzheimer's Research the Focus of Annual Chapter Meeting

This fall’s 19th Annual Chapter Meeting sought to answer this question: “The Elusive Promise of Alzheimer’s Research…Where Are We Now?” The auditorium at The Rockefeller University was filled with hundreds of people for whom the answer held life and death implications.

Jed Levine, Dr. Mony de Leon, Dr. Richard Mayeux,
Lou-Ellen Barkan, Dr. Mary Sano & Dr. Norman Relkin

After a welcome by Board of Directors Co-Chair, Susan V. Kayser, Lou-Ellen Barkan, President and CEO, noted that when some 200,000 New Yorkers suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) the toll— including family and caregivers—is really much higher. She introduced the distinguished panel, starting with Dr. Mony J. de Leon (Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Center for Brain Health, NYU Medical Center).

Alzheimer’s, Dr. de Leon said, is 95% sporadic and only 5% familial. It is a disease where the diagnosis is made on the basis of observable behavior. In AD, brain imaging would show beta amyloid and tau, characteristic of the disease. Successive MRI scans would show the loss of brain tissue in certain regions over time. The degree of atrophy in the hippocampus indicates which MCI (mild cognitive impairment) cases are likely to develop AD. PET scans measure brain metabolism, showing the likelihood of MCI.

Ptau-231 is a marker which predicts future AD, as do the levels of isoprostane. In short, a pre-symptomatic diagnosis is now possible, if not practical.

Next, Dr. Richard Mayeux (Sergievsky Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Epidemiology; Director, Sergievsky Center and Co-Director of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center) mentioned the shocking story of two brothers who developed AD at ages 20 and 24. In another family AD always developed at 90—both inherited the disease. Genetic indicators have been found for early onset; now, a genetic marker for late-onset AD is being sought.

The National Institute for Aging’s genetic initiative researchers look for an abnormal section of a chromosome. apoE4 has been associated with higher risk, but developing AD is not certain. There are probably at least five other genes that influence the development of AD along with apoE4. They have studied genetic mutations in 1,000 families and this material will be available to all scientists.

Dr. Norman Relkin (Associate Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience; Director, Cornell Memory Disorders Program, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York Presbyterian Hospital) spoke of the many treatments under development. Today’s drugs stabilize the disease over time, they don’t cure it. However, animal studies suggest that AD is potentially reversible or stoppable.

95% of AD drug trials have failed, and it usually takes 15 years from a drug’s invention to its approval. Among the many promising drugs are Flurizan, in Phase III trials, which seeks to decrease amyloid production. Alzhemed (also in Phase III) aims to reduce fibril deposits. In the works are vaccinations to promote amyloid clearance and immunotherapy towards the same end.

As for now, Dr. Relkin advises patients to take available drugs first. These doses are often maintained as the new drug in trial is added.

Mary Sano, Ph.D. (Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Director of Research and Development at the Bronx VA Medical Center) spoke on how to prevent cognitive loss.

She suggested seniors compensate for age related changes by paying attention, taking notes, cutting down on distractions and focusing on one thing at a time. Both social activities and physical activities help the brain function optimally.

Genetically altered mice were helped, cognitively, by cabernet wine. But trials have revealed that other such promising avenues of research such as estrogen, anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants didn’t pan out in human subjects. Sano invites as many as who can to participate in research studies: “We all have a stake in this.”

Research grants were then presented by Jed. A. Levine, the Chapter’s Executive Vice President and Director of Programs and Services. He noted that it has been exactly 100 years since Dr. Alois Alzheimer described the disease.

Now, the Alzheimer’s Association is the largest private funder of research ($21 million this year.) The Association awarded nearly $1.8 million in grants to researchers working in New York City on this occasion.

Recipients included Jose R. Carrion-Baralt, Ph.D. (Mount Sinai), Bing Gong, M.D. (Columbia University), Khalid Iqbal, Ph.D. (NY State Institute for Basic Research), Jordi Magranr, Ph.D. (Cornell University), Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D. (NYU), Sophie Restitutito, Ph.D. (New York University), Nikolaos Robakos, Ph.D.(Mount Sinai), Michael Schnaider- Beeri, Ph.D. (Mount Sinai), Scott Small, M.D. (Columbia University), Dominique Toran-Allerand, M.D. (Columbia University) and Thomas Wisniewski, M.D. (New York University).

Certainly, the Chapter has much work ahead, but at least as many accomplishments to take pride in.

Please click here to view our entire Annual Chapter Meeting Album and other Chapter event photographs.

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