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JANUARY 2021 ALZHEIMER EUROPE TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE 01 11 January: Lilly has positive results in Phase II study of donanemab 19 Welcome 18 January: Two new trials added to our Clinical Trials Watch 4 02 25 January: Italy finally gets funding for its National Dementia Plan 17 COVID-19 Situation 25 January: LETHE project holds virtual kick-off meeting 8 03 28 January: MEPs back our call for dementia to be prioritised 11 Alzheimer Europe 1 February: Neuronet releases Knowledge Base 1 8 04 WELCOME Alzheimer Europe networking I am pleased to be able to its access will be less favourable compared kick off 2021 with positive with its previous access to Horizon 2020 05 news in a number of areas. when it was a Member State of the EU projects On the research front, European Union. January has seen an Staying at the European level, I would like to 10 announcement from pharm- thank the members of the European European Alzheimer’s aceutical company Eli Lilly, Alzheimer’s Alliance (EAA), who have shown Alliance that its Phase II clinical trial their support following the publication of TRAILBLAZER-ALZ evaluating donanemab in our report, “Dementia as a European 10 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has met its primary Priority – A Policy Overview”. EAA Vice EU developments endpoint. Donanemab is an investigational Chairs, Christophe Hansen MEP and Hilde anti-amyloid therapy, targeting a modified Vautmans MEP, as well as EAA members 12 form of beta amyloid called N3pG. In Martin Brglez MEP and Chrysoula Members’ news addition to this trial, Lilly is running a second Zacharopoulou MEP, have spoken out about Phase II trial, TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2, to why they believe dementia must be 15 evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy prioritised across the health, social and Policy watch of donanemab in people with early AD. This research policies of the EU, including trial is currently listed in our Clinical Trials EU4Health and the Horizon Europe research 16 Watch service, to which we have just added programme. Science watch two other Phase II trials this month. For At a national level, congratulations are in 19 more information, see the research section order for our friends at Federazione of our website. Living with dementia Alzheimer Italia, who have been There is plenty of dementia-related research instrumental in securing funding for Italy's 19 happening across Europe, including a national dementia plan. While Italy’s Plan Dementia in Society number of EU-funded projects in which has been in place since 2014, it had no Alzheimer Europe is a partner. The newly- associated funding to allow its 20 launched LETHE project is one such implementation. The news of specific Job opportunities initiative. LETHE aims to develop a funding will allow the country to start personalised prediction and intervention transforming objectives into concrete 20 model for early detection and reduction of actions to support people with dementia. New Publications & risk factors causing dementia, based on AI One final piece of good news I want to share Resources and distributed Machine Learning. We look with you, is that the on-demand content forward to collaborating with the other from the virtual 30th Alzheimer Europe 21 partners on this exciting new four-year Conference #30AEC is now freely accessible. Education project. On the subject of EU projects, it was You can find out more in the Alzheimer announced, as part of the new EU-UK Trade Europe section of this newsletter. 22 and Cooperation Agreement, that the UK Jean Georges will retain access to the Horizon Europe AE calendar Executive Director research programme (2021-2027), however, 22 Conferences 1 JANUARY 2021 15 January: Scientific seminar on COVID-19 and COVID-19 SITUATION physical exercise held by Panhellenic Federation 5 January: US Alzheimer's Association launches of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders the CNS SARS-CoV-2 Consortium, to study the Since early 2020, the long-term neurological consequences of COVID- Coronavirus (COVID-19) has 19 been spreading quickly through over 100 countries On 5 January, in a around the world and millions Perspective article of people have been infected published in Alzheimers during 2020. The outbreak of & Dementia, the US the pandemic has brought Alzheimer's Association announced the launch of a global relentless challenges to human study to evaluate the long-term neurological consequences of health and it is still raging on. COVID-19. The CNS SARS-CoV-2 study will be led by a global To cope with the crisis, many consortium from 30 different countries, receiving technical countries have taken urgent advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and measures to safeguard their focusing on the link between the coronavirus and cognitive people, while researchers in a decline, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. variety of scientific areas have In the article, lead author Prof. Gabriel de Erausquin and been engaged in finding a solution. colleagues outline what we currently know about SARS-CoV-2 - In this environment, the Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer's the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 - and the central Disease and Related Disorders decided to organise a scientific nervous system (CNS). Describing evidence which suggests seminar in the field, called "Guidelines for therapeutic physical that coronaviruses can directly infect brain cells, they outline exercise - COVID-19". The online seminar was held on 15 how SARS-CoV-2 may enter endothelial cells (specialised cells January 2021, with over 80 participants. that line the inside of our blood vessels) by binding to ACE2 receptors, kicking off an inflammatory cascade that culminates The event focused on the worldwide circumstances during the in vascular dysfunction and disease. COVID-19 infection in COVID-19 pandemic; how the disease affects people’s lives older people is associated with several neurological symptoms, from different aspects; sharing important information and including delirium, loss of taste, altered behaviour and data to help the world fight COVID-19 and especially for cognition. However, it is not yet known whether these people with dementia and their carers. symptoms are due to direct effects of COVID-19 on the brain - The speakers were Magdalini Tsolaki MD, PhD. Professor of or indirect, systemic effects on other body systems. In Neurology, Christos Savvopoulos MD, PhD, Professor of particular, the authors highlight the established link between Pathology, Charalampos Tzorbatzoudis PhD, Professor of the vascular disease and cognitive decline, suggesting that the Department of Division of Human Studies TEFAA, Dr Vasiliki increased incidence of stroke and vascular problems after Garopoulou M.Sc., PhD., P.D. Adapted Physical Education & COVID-19 infection may also contribute to an elevated long- Sports and Dr Christos Mouzakidis M.Sc., PhD., Physical term risk of dementia in recovered individuals. Education & Sports. They addressed the following topics: To better understand the long-term consequences of SARS- 1. General Principles - Sources transmission of the virus CoV-2 on the brain, cognition and dementia, the CNS SARS- 2. Antihypertensive treatment and Covid-19 CoV-2 study will link study teams from many different 3. Why Coronavirus Causes Serious Disease in Certain countries worldwide, which together have reported over 22 Population Groups million cases of COVID-19. With participants already enrolled 4. Individual Protection Measures and Health protocols in dementia research studies, the CNS SARS-CoV-2 consortium 5. Mental health tips - Covid in Alzheimer's disease will study how people with or without COVID-19 progress following diagnosis, aiming to enrol around 40,000 COVID-19 6. How Exercise Relates to Covid-19 Prevention survivors in total. Specific measures to be evaluated include 7. Safe physical exercise during the Covid-19 period cognition, behaviour and, where possible, brain volume - as 8. Prevention and protection measures measured using MRI scans. The study will initially be funded by 9. Special adjustments of physical activity - therapeutic the Alzheimer's Association, with researchers also seeking physical exercise funding from their respective countries. 10. Covid-19 pandemic treatment exercise guidelines. https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12255 At the end, the participants had the opportunity to discuss with the speakers and ask them questions. 2 JANUARY 2021 21 January: Alzheimer Slovenia organises online 27 January: INTERDEM holds meeting of the workshops and Alzheimer Cafes to ensure task force on technology use during the continued support for people with dementia and pandemic their families during COVID-19 pandemic On 27 January, the INTERDEM task force on the use of technology by and for people with dementia and carers during the COVID-19 pandemic held its second online meeting, which was chaired by Laila Øksnebjerg. The group discussed the scope and possible approaches to the topic, and shared initial ideas on the methodology. Dianne Gove is participating in this working group. ALZHEIMER EUROPE Spominčica (Alzheimer Slovenia) organises various online 15 January: Access on-demand content from the workshops for people with dementia and their families, on a th weekly basis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, traveling outside 30 Alzheimer Europe Conference for free! municipalities in Slovenia is restricted, since late October 2020, and the majority of public life is shut down, including day- care/activity centres and