Alzheimer's Reading Room: Alzheimer's Drug Successful Test CTS-21166

clipped from www.omrf.org CoMentis, a California/Oklahoma City-based pharmaceutical company, is developing a beta-secretase inhibitor, CTS-21166, discovered by Dr. Tang and Dr. Arun Ghosh of Purdue University. Unlike the existing Alzheimer’s drugs that treat only the symptoms, CTS-21166 inhibits, or turns off, the mechanism believed to lead to disease progression. The Phase I clinical trial results showed CTS-21166 to be safe and well tolerated in humans at various dose levels. Following the administration of a single dose, CTS-21166 reduced the levels of plasma beta amyloid, a potential cause of progression of the disease, by as much as 60 percent. “CTS-21166 represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by inhibiting beta-secretase, an enzyme critical in the production of potentially toxic amyloid beta,” said Henry Hsu, M.D., CoMentis Chief Medical Officer. “It has the potential to become the first-in-class disease-modifying therapeutic agent.”

Scientists have moved one step closer to developing a new type of drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. An experimental drug based on discoveries made by Dr. Jordan Tang at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has successfully completed the first phase of testing in human subjects.

CoMentis, a California/Oklahoma City-based pharmaceutical company, is developing a beta-secretase inhibitor, CTS-21166, discovered by Dr. Tang and Dr. Arun Ghosh of Purdue University. Unlike the existing Alzheimer’s drugs that treat only the symptoms, CTS-21166 inhibits, or turns off, the mechanism believed to lead to disease progression. The Phase I clinical trial results showed CTS-21166 to be safe and well tolerated in humans at various dose levels. Following the administration of a single dose, CTS-21166 reduced the levels of plasma beta amyloid, a potential cause of progression of the disease, by as much as 60 percent.

“CTS-21166 represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by inhibiting beta-secretase, an enzyme critical in the production of potentially toxic amyloid beta,” said Henry Hsu, M.D., CoMentis Chief Medical Officer. “It has the potential to become the first-in-class disease-modifying therapeutic agent.”

Beta secretase, the enzyme thought responsible for causing Alzheimer’s, was first identified in 2000 by Tang and his colleagues at OMRF. They then developed an inhibitor to stop the enzyme’s action in a laboratory setting. Since that time, Tang and collaborator Arun Ghosh, Ph.D., of Purdue University have worked with CoMentis scientists to design and develop new inhibitors safe for use in humans.

“This is a significant milestone and an unquestionable success,” Tang said. “We are stepping onto uncharted paths in Alzheimer’s treatment and seeing wonderful results so far. Hopefully, this drug will make a real difference and help stop this disease one day.”

While the clinical trials continue, Tang and his colleagues will work on the next generation of drugs to combat Alzheimer’s. “This is not a one-shot deal. We will keep working to build an arsenal to fight this deadly disease.”

During the first phase of testing, the drug was administered by injections, Tang said. Another clinical study, using an oral version of CTS-21166 will likely begin in a few months, followed by a phase II study later this year, he said.

“As far as Phase I testing goes, we could not have expected better results for a new CNS (central nervous system) drug,” he said. “It not only proved the drug candidate is safe, it gave us a whole lot of information on efficacy.”

Tang said the significance of this drug is that it is designed to treat the disease itself rather than treating the symptoms, like all other available Alzheimer’s drugs.

“It would be great if people could take one pill a day and push the onset of the disease back indefinitely,” he said. “This is another milestone toward that goal.”

About Alzheimer’s Disease:
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder characterized by slow, progressive memory loss due to the gradual death of brain cells. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease affects more than 4.5 million Americans, including 62,000 Oklahomans and nearly half the U.S. population over the age of 85.

About CoMentis:
CoMentis, Inc. (comentis.com) has its headquarters in South San Francisco, with research operations in both South San Francisco and Oklahoma City. The company is engaged in the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cognitive disorders.

About OMRF:
OMRF (omrf.org) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and developing more effective treatments for human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease.

The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease and Memory Loss in Later Life

Evercare Unveils Details Of Nation's First Alzheimer's Disease Special Needs Plan In Phoenix

I am looking forward to learning more about this program. I will investigate when this program might be coming to South Florida.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com Evercare, one of the nation's, and Arizona's, largest health care coordination programs, today unveiled the details of the first-ever Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan designed exclusively for people with Alzheimer's disease and chronic dementia. Residents of Maricopa County, Ariz. will be the first in the country to have access to this innovative health plan with tailored benefits and services, including special prescription drug coverage and the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return® program. Evercare Care Managers will collaborate with memory disorder specialists from the prestigious Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer's Institute, with the goal of enhancing Evercare's innovative model of care. <BR><BR>The <I>Evercare® Health Plan for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia</I> provides benefits that go beyond traditional Medicare coverage

Discovery suggests new ways to treat Alzheimer's cause, not just symptoms

clipped from www.newsroom.ucla.edu For some time, scientists have blamed Alzheimer's disease on a small molecule called amyloid beta protein (A beta) that leaves large gummy deposits in the brain. Recent studies suggest that these A beta proteins stick together to form floating toxic clumps that kill brain cells. Now, UCLA scientists have identified a tiny loop in A beta as the likely culprit behind the adhesion process. The UCLA team discovered that gene mutations in A beta increase the loop's flexibility, enabling it to join easily with loops from other A beta proteins and form clumps. The loop also appears in the region of the protein that regulates how — and how much — A beta is made. Principal investigator David Teplow, professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is available for interviews. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the findings in its Oct. 10 online early edition. For a PDF of the study, see www.eurekalert.org/pio/tipsheetdoc.php/237/zpq7481.pdf.

The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with Alzheimer's Type Dementia

You might get the impression from the title that this book is only for professionals; this is not the case. The validation theory works and it is simple to apply. The case studies are invaluable and provide you with specific situations that you are sure to encounter. I am convinced everyone involved with elderly parents suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's will benefit greatly from this book.

I give The Validation Breakthrough five stars and put it on my must read list. You will certainly reduce stress by learning these techniques.





The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with Alzheimer's Type Dementia

Please take a moment to read the reviews on the next page.

Buyer Reviews

By Martine Davis

If you live with or care for someone with Alzheimer's or other age related dementia, you must read this book ! What an eye-opener! For the first time I finally understood why Alzheimer's patient say what they say and do what they do. It all makes so much sense now. This small book reads quickly and is full of examples of real people who have been helped with the author's techniques. It shows you how to handle the blaming, accusing, name-calling and the repetitive motions ... It also explains why the way most of us react to Alzheimer's patients actions actually worsens the situation and can cause them to progress to a more advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease ! This book could extend the relationship between the patient and caregivers and should be MANDATORY reading for all staff working in nursing homes and long-term care facilities !

By J. Summers, CNA (Alaska)

An excellent book for both the professional caregiver and families trying to deal with this sometimes unfathomable disease. Gives practical ideas and techniques for helping people with dementia deal with issues from paranoia and blaming to sadness and helplessness. I have just begun to explore these techniques and am finding they work so well that they should be mandatory training for nurses, PCAs and CNAs. Instead of treating our seniors like they are children we at last have a way to talk to them on an adult level, tap into where they are at, deal with the problem at hand and we all come out better for the experience.


Reviewer: A reader

More and more relevant as we care for aging parents. With a title like this one might think: "Boring" Absolutely not so! Right from the start, the stories of the people are so real and so touching that one of my friends said she was moved to tears. She was so sad not to have known about this way of relating to her father. "It works," she told me. "Validation Breakthrough" shows a new way of relating to people with dementia of Alzheimer's type. This approach is effective in helping the person to clear up unresolved issues in their lives. You do not have to be a professionally trained therapist to use validation. Validation will make the relationship more rewarding for both people. It is not hard to learn and makes wonderful sense. Some readers may want to ask new questions of care facilities (like nursing homes) as the validation approach will keep loved ones from slipping into a vegetative state. It will also make the care much kinder, and more rewarding for the care givers





The Validation Breakthrough: Simple Techniques for Communicating with People with 'Alzheimer's-Type Dementia'

Newly Discovered Antibody May Be Body's Natural Defense Against Alzheimer's (Gammagard)

In what could prove to be an important development in the search for a treatment of Alzheimer's disease, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center physician-scientists say the results of an initial (Phase I) clinical study provide encouraging evidence that antibodies derived from human plasma can capture the beta-amyloid protein in blood and exert positive effects on patients' thinking abilities.


Read more at the Alzheimer's Reading Room: Newly Discovered Antibody May Be Body's Natural Defense Against Alzheimer's (Gammagard)