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by Joshua Grill, PhD February 15, 2017 Merck announced on Tuesday, February 14, that yet another clinical trial of a promising Alzheimer’s disease drug had failed. The trial was testing the safety and efficacy of verubecestat, an oral therapy that, at some doses, can reduce amyloid beta production by as much as 90% (Kennedy et al., Science 2016). The trial was being conducted in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia and was stopped because it was determined early that there was essentially no chance of showing a clinical benefit of the drug, compared to placebo. Perhaps importantly, based on the limited available…

The 23rd UCI Distinguished Lecture Series on Brain, Learning, and Memory hosted by UCI MIND, UCI School of Biological Sciences, and UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory was held on February 7, 2017, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Dr. Ruth Benca, UCI MIND faculty member and Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, delivered a lecture on sleep and brain health to over 850 community members, the largest attendance for this series to date. Dr. Benca’s engaging presentation first addressed why human’s need sleep and some of the common disorders that interfere with the critical sleep…

  MedPage Today February 8, 2017 Learn more about a recent research study conducted by UCI MIND Co-Director, Dr. Joshua Grill, and colleagues to better understand patient and caregiver reactions to clinical amyloid imaging. Read more>

U.S. News & World Report February 6, 2017 "This is not a deal-breaker," co-author Charles Limoli, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Irvine, said last fall. "I do not think that during the course of a trip to Mars and back the astronauts will come back with anything remotely similar to full-blown Alzheimer's. But more mild changes, more subtle changes − they would still be concerning, given the level of autonomy astronauts operate under and the amount of work they have to do." Read more>

December 6, 2016 Joshua Grill, PhD, and Aimee Pierce, MD This week, at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) meeting in San Diego, we will likely learn more about the recent announcement from Eli Lilly and company that their Phase 3 clinical trial of the monoclonal antibody against the soluble form of beta amyloid, solanezumab, did not demonstrate adequate efficacy to pursue approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Until then, here is what we do know: The drug solanezumab failed, but the trial didn’t. The purpose of the trial was to measure whether solanezumab was safe and…

December 1, 2016 KCAL9/CBS2 If you missed UCI MIND Gala Co-Chairs, Lucy &  Roger Lisabeth, on KCAL 9 last night, tune into CBS 2 Los Angeles tonight at 5pm with Elsa Ramon to hear their powerful story. Learn more about what the Lisabeths and UCI MIND are doing in the fight against Alzheimer's disease here.        

  November 28, 2016 60 Minutes Did you hear UCI MIND researcher Dr. Claudia Kawas last night on 60 Minutes? Click here to read the script and learn more.        

Ira T. Lott, M.D. is the Director of the UCI MIND Down Syndrome Program and Professor Emeritus of UC Irvine School of Medicine. While focused on helping people with Down syndrome, Dr. Lott is also expanding knowledge about Alzheimer's disease in the general population. Dr. Lott's work exemplifies the vital collaboration among people with Down syndrome, their families, and the researchers who work with them. We are honored to present him with the 8th Annual UCI MIND Award at this year's Gala. The UCI MIND Award is the Institute’s most distinguished honor bestowed upon an individual who exemplifies the mission…

Join us in honoring our 2016 Community Leadership Honorees, Linda Young and Burton Young, at A December to Remember Gala on December 3 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach. Linda and Burton have worked tirelessly to increase research funding for treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease at UCI MIND. Burton, Principal and Founder, Sperry Equities & Sperry Commercial, has served as chair of the UCI MIND Leadership Council since its inception. His message is clear: private gifts provide leverage and flexibility for researchers to test innovative ideas that will help find treatments, preventions and cures for dementia…