The guest on UsAgainstAlzheimer's October’s Alzheimer’s Talks was Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist and author whose work explores what it is like to live with neurological diseases and disorders. Her bestselling books include Still Alice, Inside the O’Briens, Left Neglected, and Love Anthony. Still Alice, about a Harvard professor with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, became a highly acclaimed movie. Lisa Genova talked with George Vradenburg about how she did the research for Still Alice, and how acting and improv classes helped her learn how to truly have empathy for people with Alzheimer’s disease. She also discussed her role as a member of the Alzheimer’s team that recently won the top honors at the XPRIZE Visioneers Summit.

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This Alzheimer’s Talks by UsAgainstAlzheimer's focused on the importance of clinical trials, particularly to better understand the motivations and barriers of participation among diverse communities. This call was hosted by Jason Resendez, director of the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s network and Dr. Goldie Byrd, Director of the Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s Aging and Community Health at North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Byrd’s work focuses on Alzheimer’s in African American communities, both genetic research and also her center’s priority on community engagement, specifically to involve underrepresented populations in clinical trials and research. They were joined by two very special guests, Daisy Duarte and Valerie Smith, both of whom have volunteered for clinical trials and are also caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or memory loss. They shared their experiences and offered insights into the importance of taking part in research.

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Dr. Laurie Ryan was our guest for the June Alzheimer’s Talks presented by UsAgainstAlzheimer's. Dr. Ryan is Chief of the Dementias of Aging Branch in the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the National Institute on Aging, she directs Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials research. Dr. Ryan discussed efforts and plans to improve the pace and quality of clinical trials and clinical research, with an emphasis on better strategies for recruiting volunteers into trials. The NIA currently has 59 ongoing clinical trials, many in early-stage clinical drug development, as well as a number of trials looking at non-pharmacological or lifestyle interventions.

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Dr. Laurie Ryan was our guest for the June Alzheimer’s Talks presented by UsAgainstAlzheimer's. Dr. Ryan is Chief of the Dementias of Aging Branch in the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the National Institute on Aging, she directs Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials research.

Dr. Ryan discussed efforts and plans to improve the pace and quality of clinical trials and clinical research, with an emphasis on better strategies for recruiting volunteers into trials. The NIA currently has 59 ongoing clinical trials, many in early-stage clinical drug development, as well as a number of trials looking at non-pharmacological or lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Howard Fillit joined George Vradenburg for this month’s Alzheimer’s Talks presented by UsAgainstAlzheimer's. They discussed a new report he co-authored, “Single Endpoint for New Drug Approvals for Alzheimer’s Disease”. The report proposes a change in how we define a clinically meaningful drug and therefore the framework for FDA approvals of a possible Alzheimer’s treatment. Dr. Fillit is the Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and a founding member of our ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s network. 

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