UCI MIND Director, Dr. Joshua Grill, named one of this year’s OC50 (50 people shaping the future of healthcare in Orange County) in the Orange County Business Journal. Read the article here.
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Masashi Kitazawa, Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, and his team found exposure to traffic-related air pollution led to memory loss and cognitive decline and triggered neurological pathways associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. "Public and environmental regulatory agencies need to accelerate efforts to reduce particulate matter levels in order to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other serious health conditions," says Michael Kleinman. (Credit: Getty Images) Read the article here.
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David Sultzer, MD May 12, 2023–Brexpiprazole has now been approved by the FDA for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer’s dementia. Agitated behaviors are common in those with moderate or advanced Alzheimer’s dementia and these symptoms contribute substantially to caregiver burden, institutionalization, and faster cognitive decline. Yesterday’s decision marks the first approval in the United States of a medication for these symptoms. The approval was based on the results of three 12-week treatment studies. The studies collectively showed modest reduction in the frequency of specific agitated behaviors and lower severity on a clinician-rated measure. In one of the studies, 56%…
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May 3, 2023–Eli Lilly and company announced today (https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-donanemab-significantly-slowed-cognitive-and-functional) the positive topline results from their Phase 3 clinical trial of donanemab, a monoclonal antibody that rapidly lowers beta amyloid levels in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The release indicated that patients treated with donanemab experienced significantly slower cognitive and functional decline, compared to those receiving placebo, over 18 months. The primary outcome was a composite measure known as the integrated Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (iADRS, a tool that borrows pieces of other instruments to look at elements key in early disease) and was reported as demonstrating a 35%…
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New number crunching from the Alzheimer's Orange County estimates that the number of folks enduring this sort of heartbreak has essentially doubled since 2014 in the O.C. That’s a startling jump, from 84,000 to 164,000 people, which works out to about 5% of our total population. … “The new number is believable, especially if a difference from the previous estimate is the inclusion of mild cognitive impairment as a category,” said Dr. Joshua D. Grill, Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior and noted Alzheimer’s researcher at UC Irvine . Joshua Grill, PhD “Orange County is ‘grayer’ than the rest of the country,…
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On Monday, April 17th, 2023, the trainee led Research and Education in Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (REMIND) held its 14th annual Emerging Scientists Symposium. The event is designed to help early career scientists share their research and network with colleagues and mentors. Like previous years, this symposium included research talks from invited graduate and postdoctoral trainees, poster presentations, and a keynote presentation. The REMIND co-chairs were honored this year to welcome Rema Raman, PhD, Professor of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, to speak on “Advancing Alzheimer’s clinical trials through a convergence of statistics, machine learning and Al”. Microglial replacement,…
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Dr. Frank LaFerla, Dean of the School of Biological Sciences and UCI MIND faculty member speaks at local educational event for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Frank LaFerla, PhD Read about the event and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in California here.
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UCI MIND faculty member and professor in the School of Public Health, Karen D. Lincoln, PhD, MSW, MA, FGSA, is featured in Authority Magazine as being one of the top inspirational Black women in medicine. Read the full interview here To learn more about Dr. Lincoln's research to address health disparities in Black communities, visit her faculty profile or her website: Advocates for African American Elders Dr. Karen D. Lincoln
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OC World produced documentary "Hope Dies Last", featuring UCI MIND faculty members, Drs. Joshua Grill and Leslie Thompson, wins the Golden Mike Award for best documentary. "Hope Dies Last" creates a narrative around the impact of Alzheimer's disease on California communities and the stories of families who find hope in the darkest of times. The documentary, produced by OC World, was awarded Best Long Form Programming or Documentary at the 73rd Annual Golden Mike Awards. Read the full article here. View the documentary here. https://youtu.be/wABhpdiZO0E
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Message from the Director Dear Friends of UCI MIND, Advances in the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research and the contributions of UCI MIND investigators remain tremendously exciting. Two new drugs have been approved by the FDA (page 3). These approvals are believed by many to represent the dawn of a new age in AD research and treatment. Both drugs received accelerated approval and we await a decision from the FDA about “full approval” for lecanemab. If received, full approval could cause the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to revisit their previous coverage decision about anti-amyloid antibody therapies. These…
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