Monterey, CA Banner Alzheimer's Institute Looking For A Vaccine To Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

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I've recently been reading about an extended family in a village in Columbia where, because they have a specific gene and have inbred, many of them start developing dementia in their 30's, 40's and 50's. It's one of the most heart breaking stories I have ever read and it profiled a woman who at the age of 82 was forced to take care of three children between the ages of 48 and 55 who all developed early onset dementia. The woman had to feed them and change their diapers as she did when they were children. When the Times first profiled them back in 2010, researchers were very excited about studying this pool of about 5,000 people. However, drug cartels made the area too dangerous to travel in and the studies never came to fruition. Last night, I was able to meet the man making a study there possible.  Eric Reiman, MD, the CEO of Banner Research and the Executive Director of Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) and the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative spoke to a group of us in Carmel.  He explained that many drug companies have been frustrated by the long time it takes to conduct clinical trials and get drugs through the FDA approval process.  It's even more difficult for Alzheimer's disease drugs given the fact that it can be decades before symptoms come on.  A cure for the disease may be found by testing vaccines on healthy young people who are predisposed to the disease.  Testing on older victims which are well into the disease may not be as effective.  Doing this on the general population would take decades to get results, but there are pockets of people around the world that have a rare gene giving them 100% odds of getting early onset Alzheimer's disease.  And that's where the Banner Alzheimer's Institute comes in.  A drug developed by Genentech called Crenezumab is currently being tested in two clinical trials on people who have mild to moderate symptoms of dementia to try and discover whether it can help reduce cognitive decline or amyloid accumulation. But there are bigger hopes for a study in Columbia, which is where one of these rare groups of pre-disposed victims reside.   The drug attacks amyloid plaques in the brain and is seen as a potential vaccine.  What a wonderful thing if this drug works the way they hope it does.  It's a terrible disease that robs you of your memory and the people that you love.  What's amazing about this particular study is that Reiman was able to convince Genentech to release data on blood samples, cognitive functioning tests and other data to other researchers so that hopefully studies on other promising vaccines can be developed. This is extremely rare for drug companies to do this because there is a risk competitor's will reverse engineer the drug.  But it's so critical that a cure for this disease is found, Genentech has agreed to release the data.  Dr. Reiman believes this will open the door to a flood of new research projects, all looking for a vaccine.  There's great work coming out of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute which was founded by Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country.  It is dedicated to:

 .  Revolutionary studies in detection, treatment and prevention;

 .  A new national standard of patient and family care; and

 .  Scientific collaborations to bring together institutions and disciplines internationally.

It has developed pioneering brain imaging techniques and characterized the genetic and non-genetic factors that put many people at greater risk for Alzheimer's disease.  One theory is that bits of protein accumulate as plaques and tangles on the brain which causes neurological function to begin to deteriorate.  Through imaging studies, BAI is targeting the earliest brain changes, decades before the onset of memory and thinking problems. Through clinical trials, it then evaluates experimental therapies to block the disease or slow damage to the brain.  In addition to the important research BAI is doing, they have established a standard of care program to enhance the lives of those who already have this terrible disease.  Their model encompasses financial and legal concerns, caregiver stress and quality of life.  It provides support groups as well as innovative community-based programs for little or no charge.  Although they are based in Arizona, they have teams of people who can travel across the country to do specialized classes for institutions and medical facilities.  That is so important.  Both of our Platinum sponsors, Alliance Home Health and Family inHome Caregiving, see Alzheimer's patients on a daily basis.  What many people don't know is that the stress on the family can be as debilitating as it is to the actual person suffering from Alzheimer's has to deal with.  Dr. Reiman said that 50% of family caregivers get clinically depressed.  That's not hard to believe.  I cared for my grandmother for five years before she passed away last year.  She had Alzheimer's disease and the stress it placed on my family and myself was not inconsequential.  Those with Alzheimer's need help, and so to do the family caregivers.