by Sarah Khoo
6 June 2024
Hello everyone.
Today is the second day of the Trisomy 21 Research Society International Conference, and it’s been very exciting!
Our team—Sarah, Ellie, and Zhiyuan—put up some great posters.
Sarah’s posters are about:
How the brain changes as people who have Down’s syndrome get older
How therapy can help mental health conditions in people who have Down’s syndrome.
Ellie’s poster is about what caregivers think about Alzheimer’s research involving people with Down’s syndrome.
This is important because caregivers play a big role in helping those they care for.
Zhiyuan, our PhD student, is studying how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used for early diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease within the DS population.
AI is a powerful tool that can help us predict and understand illnesses better.
There are many other interesting posters here too! They cover topics like:
- How genes work
- How cells function
- How the brain changes with age
- How other illnesses can happen alongside Down’s syndrome
- How people think and behave
- Ways to diagnose and treat conditions
- Making society and research more inclusive for people who have Down’s syndrome
Recent Advances in Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults who have Down’s Syndrome
Professor Sigan Hartley shared that Alzheimer’s disease progresses faster in adults who have Down’s syndrome. She found that psychiatric symptoms may occur after initial cognitive changes.
Professor John Hardy from UCL talked about treatments that can slow down Alzheimer’s disease. He explained that starting treatment early can stop a protein called amyloid from building up in the brain. This buildup is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Many past treatments for Alzheimer’s didn’t work well because they were tested on dementia instead of Alzheimer’s and didn’t completely remove the amyloid buildup in the brain. Successful treatments that lower amyloid was shown to help with thinking and memory but can cause side effects, usually mild like a headache, but sometimes serious. This serious side effect is called ARIA (Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormality). In summary, it’s important to treat amyloid buildup early to see benefits. Researchers are now considering looking into starting these treatments earlier, around age 30, for people who have Down’s syndrome to prevent these problems.
Dr Laura Videla Toro recommends an annual medical visit, involving a blood and EEG test as the best health plan for people who have Down’s syndrome.
Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease in Down’s Syndrome
Professor James Hendrix is optimistic about new treatments. He explained that diagnosing Alzheimer’s is getting better with simple blood tests. He also stressed the importance of safety trials to avoid any risks. Education about MRI scans is also important to ensure people are comfortable with them, as MRIs are needed to measure safety and progress.
Dr Patrick Kesslak from Alzheon, Inc talked about a new drug called ALZ-801. This drug shows promise and is moving into advanced testing It’s an oral tablet, which makes it easier for more people to take and can allow wider access to diverse groups and regions.
Professor Anita Bhattacharyya shared how scientists are using special cells called T21-iPSCs to study Down’s syndrome. These cells help researchers understand brain development of people with Down’s syndrome and find new treatments. They are also good for testing new drugs.
We had lots of fun learning all these innovative and exciting new things today.
The conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet other researchers, share our work, and learn from each other. It’s inspiring to see so many dedicated people working to improve the lives of people who have Down’s syndrome.
Stay tuned to hear about Malwina’s talk on Saturday. It’s going to be great!
You can catch up the rest of our conference reports here:
If you are interested in hearing more about our research, resources for healthy brain ageing for people with Down’s Syndrome, or participating in one of our studies, please email our research team at: ciddrg@medschl.cam.ac.uk