Alzheimer's Association Update

Investigators from 26 countries met in Varna, Bulgaria, October 19–20, 2017, at the second in a series of Alzheimer’s Association International Conference satellite symposia. Researchers discussed new pathways in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia research, with a particular focus on new therapeutic opportunities. The goals of the meeting were three-fold: first, to bring dementia research closer to Eastern Europe; second, to showcase excellent dementia research underway in Eastern Europe and neighboring countries; and third, to facilitate connection and collaboration that spans the global scientific community and engages expertise in Eastern Europe. The Varna meeting was preceded in 2015 by the first satellite symposium, which took place in Mexico City and brought together researchers and policy experts from 11 countries across the Americas and Spain [1]. Four inter-related topics were explored at the meeting in Varna: 1) the role of innate immunity and neuroinflammation, 2) the relationship between APOE and AD, 3) genomic, epigenomic, and other molecular mechanisms in AD, and 4) improving early diagnosis through the development of new neuroimaging, genomic, and fluid biomarkers. More than 30 speakers presented their work, and 30 posters provided more details on the latest research. Additional comments from Maria Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association; Irina Ilieva, executive secretary of Alzheimer Bulgaria; Jean Georges, executive director of Alzheimer’s Europe; and Nikolai Lazarov, MD, PhD, DSc, executive board chairman of the Science and Education Foundation in Bulgaria, highlighted the extensive resources available to accelerate AD research in the region. Philippe Amouyel, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University Hospital of Lille in northern France, set the stage for the symposium with a survey of epidemiologic research, which demonstrates the growing burden of AD on individuals, families, communities, and countries around the world. He noted that several recent studies in Europe and the United States indicate a declining incidence of AD and suggest that cognitive decline may be modifiable through lifestyle interventions. The link between diet, exercise, and improved cognition is also supported by research in animal models, as discussed during presentations by Selma Kanazir, PhD, research professor at the University of Belgrade, and Margaret Fahnestock, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at McMaster University in Canada. Karl Herrup, PhD, head of life sciences at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, weighed in on the molecular links between lifestyle risk factors and AD by describing molecular pathways associated with aging that lead to hyperinsulinemia, diabetes, and neuronal death. Amouyel also called attention to a recent analysis by the Alzheimer’s Association, which concluded that if an intervention were introduced in 2025 that delayed the onset of AD by five years, prevalence in 2050 would drop dramatically [2]. On this backdrop, subsequent presentations about developing biomarkers for early detection, identifying novel therapeutic targets, and developing treatments that target early molecular mechanisms in AD took on added significance. The Alzheimer’s Association partnered with leadership from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Iliya Lefterov, MD, PhD, professor, Radasveta Koldamova, MD, PhD, associate professor, and Nicholas Fitz, PhD, assistant professor), and from the Medical University Varna, Bulgaria, (Anton Tonchev, MD, PhD, professor and chair) to convene the symposium. In support of the symposium, Lefterov received funding from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, to support speakers and engagement of junior scientists to present and share their scientific endeavors. A more detailed report of this meeting will appear in a future issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia.