USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A September 10, 2015 The Intelligencer article reported that the Department of Health and Human Services has reversed its decision barring Alzheimer’s patient advocate Michael Ellenbogen from those meetings of the U.S. Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services. According to the article, “Arnold & Porter partner Jeffrey Handwerker and associate Rahul Khara intervened on Ellenbogen's behalf after being alerted to his situation by the advocacy group UsAgainstAlzheimer's, whose chairman was a council member who spoke out on Ellenbogen's behalf.” Also reported on by NewsWorks.org.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A September 10, 2015 Business Day Live article reported on Japan’s efforts to rejuvenate medical research. According to the article, “Now, Japanese corporations spanning the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors have regenerative medicine on their agenda, and industry groups estimate the domestic market for these therapies could top$25bn by 2050. Investors are funding research into the potential of cells to fix damaged organs and tissues, or reverse degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. While scientists globally have worked for years in this field, treatments have been slow to come to market. But there’s a hope in Japan that without the political red tape, promising therapies will emerge faster and there will be speedier payouts.”

A September 9, 2015 Nature article reported that evidence has emerged that clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted between people. According to the article, “Only a decade ago, the idea that Alzheimer’s disease might be transmissible between people would have been laughed off the stage. But scientists have since shown that tissues can transmit symptoms of the disease between animals — and new results imply that humans, at least in one unusual circumstance, may not be an exception…If confirmed, the findings raise the spectre that tens of thousands of other people treated with the human growth-hormone (hGH) extracts might be at risk of Alzheimer’s.” Also reported on by The Economist, The Financial Times, and others. 

A September 9, 2015 MinnPost.com article highlighted concerns with headlines about blood tests for Alzheimer’s and dementia. According to the article, “Have scientists developed a new, simple blood test that can predict a person’s risk of developing dementia? That’s certainly what some media reports from the past few days would have you believe…However, any suggestions that the system will have broad clinical use are quite premature."