VJDementia Podcast

Practical considerations when using anti-amyloid antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Anti-amyloid antibodies are the first disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with two agents—lecanemab and donanemab—now fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This podcast features experts Paulo Caramelli, MD, PhD, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Stephen P. Salloway, MD, MS, Butler Hospital & Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, Suzanne Schindler, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, and Dorota Religa, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden, who discuss the practical considerations when using these therapies.
The discussion explores pivotal clinical trial findings, appropriate use recommendations, the management of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), and patients who may not be eligible for these treatments.

Exploring plasma p-tau217: a game-changer in Alzheimer's trials

Welcome to the VJSounds podcast, presented by the Video Journal of Dementia. In this episode, we dive into the latest advancements in Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, focusing on the diagnostic and predictive potential of plasma p-tau217.
As an alternative to traditional PET assessment, blood-based biomarker detection has the potential to provide a time-efficient, cost-effective strategy for pre-screening and treatment monitoring in AD clinical trials. Although the widespread use of blood-based biomarkers in clinical practice remains to be seen, they also hold promise in expediting diagnostic/prognostic procedures for AD.
In this episode, we are joined by renowned researchers who discuss their work to test and validate p-tau217, both as a tool for clinical trials and for use in daily practice. 
With Marco Bucci, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Suzanne Schindler, MD, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Pamela Lukasewicz Ferreira, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; and Lyduine Collij, PhD, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Eyes on Alzheimer’s: the promise of the retina

In today’s episode, we hear from top researchers studying the retina as a window to the Alzheimer's brain. Hear the latest on retinal biomarkers, the development of a diagnostic 'eye test' for Alzheimer's disease, and the promise of retina organoids for novel drug development. 
With Frederique Hart de Ruyter, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Mourad Tayebi, Western Sydney University; & Natalia Vergara, University of Colorado.

Exciting developments in microglia research in Alzheimer’s disease

In this episode, VJDementia are joined by Amy Lloyd, PhD, Soyon Hong, PhD, João Pedro Ferrari-Souza, MD-PhD student, & Elina Svensson, PhD student, who share their work looking at the roles of microglia in health and disease, and the implications of this for understanding how to treat Alzheimer's disease.
Discussing TREM2 therapeutic targeting, the role of APOE4 in microglial reactivity, proteomic profiling, & what causes microglia to destroy functional synapses in disease.

Expert perspectives on lecanemab

On January 6, 2023, the US FDA approved lecanemab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), making history as the first ever treatment to significantly slow cognitive decline. Despite the excitement surrounding this breakthrough approval, concerns remain regarding the extent of lecanemab's clinical benefit and the risks involved with its use. In this episode, experts delve review the evidence, reflecting on the performance of lecanemab and future directions for anti-amyloid therapies.

Nutrition and cognitive decline

In this episode, specialists discuss the associations between diet and cognitive, and give insights on the implications that their research could have for dementia prevention. The topics up for discussion this week include: high intake of ultra-processed food associated with cognitive decline, intermittent fasting in Alzheimer’s disease, omega-3 in the prevention of dementia in APOE4 carriers, and the REACTION trial assessing a multi-nutrient drink for age-related cognitive decline.

Novel markers for Alzheimer’s disease monitoring and prognostication

In this episode, our expert guests will discuss their work on the discovery and validation of promising new biomarkers for monitoring, prognostication, and clinical trial outcomes. Novel markers beyond the classical measures of plasma amyloid and phosphorylated tau will be discussed, including TREM2, neurofilament light, retinal imaging, and blood-brain barrier leakage.

Early biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease

Blood biomarkers are taking off in the Alzheimer’s disease field, showing promise for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment monitoring. Research groups across the globe are assessing biomarkers in the very earliest stages of disease.
In this episode, Marta Milà-Alomà, PhD; Pamela Lukasewicz Ferreira, PhD; Madison Honey, PhD candidate; and Zahinoor Ismail, MD, share their latest work looking at early biomarkers, from plasma biomarkers to mild behavioral impairment.

Alzheimer’s disease blood tests? Bringing plasma biomarkers into clinical practice

Blood biomarkers are taking off in the Alzheimer's disease field, showing promise for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment monitoring. Following development, validation, and retrospective and prospective analyses, several assays are now ready for real-world study and clinical implementation. In today's podcast, our experts discuss the road to clinical implementation of plasma biomarkers, including the latest data on Aβ and GFAP, development of SOPs and guidelines, and real-world evidence.

Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease: targeting β-amyloid and tau

The complexity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis has led to difficulties understanding the disease and, therefore, impacted the development of AD drugs. In this episode, AD specialists Philip Tipton, MD, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL; Johanne Kaplan, PhD, ProMIS™ Neurosciences, Inc., Cambridge, MA; and Adam Fleisher, MD, MAS, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, discuss the development of immunotherapeutic strategies for AD targeting β-amyloid and tau.