, the biotechnology company Grifols has attempted to reduce the amount of harmful, Alzheimer’s disease-causing amyloid beta in the brain by collecting it with a blood protein called albumin and draining it out of the bloodstream. This approach differs from the previous antibody and catabody approaches and offers new hope for sufferers of this neurodegenerative disease.
Alzheimer’s disease, named after its discoverer, is a slow and progressive disease that causes the degradation of the brains of its sufferers. This leads to memory loss, a decrease in problem-solving abilities, changes in personality, and other symptoms. It is associated with the accumulation of tau and amyloid beta in the brain.
This disease predominantly impacts the elderly, with incidence increasing rapidly beyond the age of 65, impacting 30% of people over the age of 90 [1]. It is thought to be the most common cause of dementia, with more than 50 million sufferers worldwide. This number is estimated to grow worldwide as a result of the aging population crisis [2].
Until now, there has been no clinically proven treatment for Alzheimer’s disease; all therapies have been strictly focused on lessening the symptoms without attempting to cure or slow the progression of the disease. Until recently, any therapies that attempted to address the root causes of the disease have failed.
Albumin can be thought of as a natural ‘molecular bus’, as it binds to all sorts of molecules and carries them into the bloodstream for later unbinding. Grifols has shown that amyloid freely passes between the brain and blood vessels with the assistance of albumin. Therefore, by draining amyloid-carrying albumin out of the bloodstream and replacing it with ‘empty’ albumin, the brain can be continuously emptied of beta-amyloid.
In its phase III trial, AMBAR was shown to significantly and dramatically slow the rate of Alzheimer’s disease progression (ranging from 42% to 75%, depending on the scale used), measured both in terms of mental decline and the ability of sufferers to carry out the activities of daily life. Its clinical trials, which have involved thousands of people, have also shown this therapy to be safe.
Because this was a phase III clinical trial, the therapy has reached the end of its pre-sales research. All that remains is to get the therapy registered and accepted with the FDA, after which it will become available; this therapy will likely be available in the next few years if nothing changes.
While this therapy is not an outright cure, even disregarding its direct benefits to health, its success makes a powerful statement. For a long time, scientists have been unable to effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease, causing some people to question the validity of the amyloid model, which states that amyloid beta is the direct cause of this disease.
The fact that a treatment targeting amyloid was successful in delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease can increase our confidence in this model and could justify optimism for other amyloid-based approaches that may cure Alzheimer’s disease, such as Proclara Biosciences GAIM technology and Leucadia Therapeutics’ drainage strategy.
[1] Qiu, C., Kivipelto, M., & von Strauss, E. (2009). Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease: occurrence, determinants, and strategies toward intervention. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 11(2), 111.
[2] Brookmeyer, R., Evans, D. A., Hebert, L., Langa, K. M., Heeringa, S. G., Plassman, B. L., & Kukull, W. A. (2011). National estimates of the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 7(1), 61-73.
Family member memory going down hill. Reading as much as possible to be informed. Issue is that assisted living facilities are not open to clinical trials.So happy I had so much free time when I started. Started in summer break and literally just grinded mechanics for hours and hours most of the time wouldn’t even play any matches literally just hopped in training and played until I realized 4 hours later I’ve only been playing training. Started practicing directional air roll and literally could not do it whatsoever until like a month ago I hopped on and magically could actually semi freestyle with it. Idk I’d say just practice it and then it’ll randomly all come together out of nowhereAn Unofficial Ranking of Some of the Boyz II Men Mid-Song Monologues
Boyz II Men. What can I say? For me, it started in the nineties, when Stephanie Tanner chose to fuck up her “street jazz” routine to “Motown Philly” because she didn’t want to be a professional dancer. The song and choreography had me (and most sixth grade girls I knew) hooked. Stephanie had only decided 15 minutes prior that she wanted to go pro, so it was especially crazy that 22 minutes into the episode, she had changed her mind and sabotaged her recital! FYI, this is rude, and the episode should have actually focused more on: realistic dreams and the time it takes to achieve them, and [...]This interview was so jam-packed I HAD to make it a two-parter...buckle up!
What it took to go from "leaving this job doesn't even feel like an option" to "It's now or never: I'm going to start my own business"
"I'm not forecasting, and I'm not living in the past, and I'm living true to myself for the first time ever."
Ariell was deeply unhappy in her work -- but at the same time, she knew she was learning a lot and fulfilled in some ways. She got to the point where the unhappiness overshadowed any positive elements of the job, and was able to acknowledge that she needed to make a change.
She describes the process of "putting myself back in the driver's seat of my life" and how the familiar mindsets of It is what it is or I can't do anything about this can easily become "safety blankets" that enable us to stay stuck.
"I was not living my true self...I was afraid to acknowledge who I really am. I'm an entrepreneur. And I couldn't even say that before - let alone live it."
When she finally OWNED her truth, she quit her job and started a business (whilst parenting two small children, processing the passing of her best friend, and dealing with the beginning of Covid).
How'd she manage the fear of all that?
She had our Group Coaching program, where we all got to be honest and vulnerable, and hold each other accountable to the goals we'd set.
She was deeply connected to the spirit of her recently departed friend, who was urging her not to give up on her dream.
 Get some accountability."
She took on things she had no idea about (...how does one raise $600k??...or build a Pitch Deck?...) -- She literally figured out what she didn't know, then figured out how to do it, step-by-step. She took on Step 2, then Step 3...instead of panicking about all the unknowns of Step 12 from the start.
"No one knows anything about Step 12. I don't even think about Step 12 anymore!"
Rather than setting the expectation that fear needs to be conquered, she started using Fear as "one of her senses" - which are always gathering info!
"My new thing is getting really curious about my feelings...What are you trying to tell me?"
She also walks us through the big decision to cease year-long negotiations with an investor/partner, which meant WALKING AWAY from the money her business needed to launch sooner, in its dream retail space.
"I thought I'd lost my dream. This is so embarrassing. It's been two years and I have nothing to show for myself."
She shares how amidst all of those loud, painful thoughts and ALL of the crying, she still knew this wasn't the right choice for her.
"I learned so much. I'm so grateful for the experience. I'm so much more ready for what's coming for me than I was before...Making mistakes or failing or challenges: I'm less afraid of that now. AND I'm so comfortable saying I have no idea what I'm doing."
What would you say to someone considering getting coaching?
 Your fears will still show up, indecisiveness, cloudiness...joy, abundance, all of these things are still gonna show up.
I think the best part about having worked with you and continuing to work with you is: Having tools to manage all of that. For me...I didn't know I could ask my Fear a question, a year ago. I didn't know I could talk with my Fear.
You're still a human, and you're gonna have a lot of feelings. They're not going away — that's not the goal. This whole stupidness around "Don't make an emotional decision"...ALL decisions are emotional! And the problem is, we don't know how to process our feelings, and turn them into powerful tools to make decisions.
2. What kind of decision maker would you call yourself today?
Clear. Grounded. Tethered, in a good way, to something.
You know Tetherball? That pole? I have that. If you root it to something, you can sway the course of your life. I don't think I'm a perfect decision maker, whatever that is, but I have this root thing I can keep coming back to, that helps me stay rooted & grounded.
Ariell's multi-point answer includes celebrations about parenting, boundaries, money choices