CONFERENCE COVERAGE SERIES
Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) 2022
San Francisco, California
29 November – 02 December 2022
Dare We Say Consensus Achieved: Lecanemab Slows the Disease
Scientists at CTAD found the Phase 3 trial well-done, the data consistent, and expect the drug to be approved. Priorities: grow the effect, understand the bleeding risk.
Brexpiprazole Eases Agitation in People with AD; So Does Being in a Trial
In Phase 3 trials, the drug reduced agitation more than placebo; however, both groups benefited substantially.
Two New Stabs at Vaccinating People Against Pathologic Tau
A liposomal anti-tau vaccine elicited a response against disease-linked forms of tau, outdoing a conjugated vaccine. A separate tack to vaxx against tau is waiting in the wings.
Cognitive Tests Taken at Home Are on Par with In-Clinic Assessments
Six commonly used tests accurately detected dementia, even preclinical cognitive slippage, when given over video chat or face-to-face.
In Small Trial, Gene Therapy Spurs ApoE2 Production
ApoE2 was detected in cerebrospinal fluid of ApoE4 carriers with Alzheimer’s disease who received a virus expressing the protective allele.
Donanemab Mops Up Plaque Faster Than Aduhelm
In a head-to-head comparison, donanemab banished four times as much plaque in the first six months as aducanumab did, partly due to its faster titration.
Gantenerumab Mystery: How Did It Lose Potency in Phase 3?
In the Graduate trials, the anti-amyloid antibody gantenerumab cleared only half as much plaque as it had done in earlier studies. Is formulation or dosing to blame?
Could Personalizing Multimodal Interventions Give Them Oomph?
In a small pilot study, tailoring lifestyle changes to the individual boosted cognition, with an effect size three times that seen in the Finger trial.
Plasma P-tau217 Picks Up Plaques, Tangles, Future Decline
In some patients, the blood Aβ42/40 test fell too close to the cutoff for specialists to confidently diagnose AD. Comorbidities, drugs also complicate results. Two CSF tests are FDA-approved.
A Tau Blood Test Tracks With Alzheimer's Neuropathology
Antemortem plasma p-tau217 predicted the extent of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles seen postmortem.
New Data Bolsters MTBR-Tau243 as Fluid Marker for Tangles
Mirroring earlier results, a larger study finds that high levels of this tau fragment in CSF tracked with neurofibrillary tangles, but not amyloid plaques.
Better Diagnosis with Blood Test Detecting Only Tau Made in Brain
Brain-derived forms of tau distinguished people with Alzheimer's from those with other neurodegenerative diseases.
After Hibernation, Bears Clear P-Tau Aggregates
Plasma p-tau climbs as bears sleep. Post-torpor, tau reverts to normal. Does neuronal metabolic activity have to do with it?
Blood Amyloid Test May Help Diagnose Alzheimer’s, but Questions Remain
In some patients, the blood Aβ42/40 test fell too close to the cutoff for specialists to confidently diagnose AD. Comorbidities, drugs also complicate results. Two CSF tests are FDA-approved.