ADI reactions
With delegates from over 100 countries, this conference was a prime opportunity to reinforce the importance of tau as a target when developing a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s and to share the latest research from TauRx.
TauRx shared some preliminary information about its LUCIDITY study and welcomed the encouragement from panel members, of the symposium session. The panel discussion was chaired by Professor Serge Gauthier, with engaging discussion from Ms Paola Barbarino, ADI CEO, Dr Richard Stefanacci, Chief Medical Director Eversana and Dr Jefferey Cummings, University of Nevada, Research Professor of Brain Science.
Huge unmet need
Noted during the symposium was the fact LUCIDITY is one of the few trials which targets the tau pathology of Alzheimer’s.
Over 35 million people live with Alzheimer’s disease and many more have mild cognitive impairment and pre-clinical Alzheimer’s. By 2050, 135 million will have Alzheimer’s, it is a huge unmet medical need.
However, it was clear through the varied presentations, posters, and exhibition booths at ADI2022, that we must strive to include people living with dementia in corporate and research activities.
A voice must be given to people most affected by dementia, but we must also collectively strive to focus on education and diagnosis to irradicate the barriers to a timely diagnosis. This includes, as Kielan Arblaster from Alzheimer’s Society highlighted, the need to raise awareness of the value of a diagnosis and greater involvement of primary care providers.
Battling stigma
Throughout, a core theme of the wider conference was raising awareness of dementia to battle the stigma associated with the condition.
A universal agreement at the conference is that dementia doesn’t discriminate, and this is a huge unmet medical need. We must all work together to promote dementia awareness, within society and within our governments to ensure we build a stigma-free culture which encourages individuals to seek out a diagnosis and any support they need free from worry or fear.
A wide range of international case studies were presented to help outline the stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s care and policies in countries around the world. It was great to see examples of how together we can collectively raise awareness.
Fireside Chat
TauRx’s second session was a fireside chat with Dr Sonya Miller, Head of Medical Affairs and Medical Oversight Lead, and Dr Emer MacSweeney, CEO and Head of Re:Cognition Health, one of the largest providers of clinical trials in the UK for neurodegenerative conditions. Joining them were special guests Stanley, who lives with Alzheimer’s, and his son Martin.
Stanley took part in an early clinical trial and now continues to take the investigative medication as part of an extended access program. Initially overwhelmed by his father’s diagnosis, Martin explained he actively searched Google for information on what they could do and discovered clinical trials. Listening to the shared experience of Stanley taking part in a clinical trial with the support from an experienced clinician in the field was overwhelmingly positive.
