Keynotes

"Next Generation of Clinical Trials for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders"

Catherine Mummery, MD, PhD - Neurologist, Head of Clinical Trials, Dementia Research Center, University College London, London (United Kingdom)   

Cath Mummery is a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She is chair of the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration, building a national unified trials network for early phase clinical trials and working with the Mission to accelerate and enhance dementia translational research in novel treatments. She is Head of Clinical Trials at the Dementia Research Centre at University College London, and Deputy Director for the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre. She has been chief investigator on over 20 early phase drug trials of potential disease modifying agents in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and genetic forms of AD and frontotemporal dementia. As clinical lead for the UCL Neurogenetic Therapies Programme, she leads a program of innovative collaboration between industry and academia to accelerate progress in genetic therapies in dementia. Her driving ambition is to ensure we not only have treatments that can alter the course of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, but that we can deliver them promptly, safely and equitably.  

"Lecanemab: from a mutation to a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease"

Lars Lannfelt, MD, PhD - Professor, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)

Professor of Molecular Geriatrics at Uppsala University since 2001, elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2004. A major scientific achievement was the detection of the “Swedish” mutation. This genetic mutation causes Alzheimer’s disease in a large family and leads to 3-5 times increased production of amyloid β (Aβ). Another major scientific breakthrough was the detection of the “Arctic” mutation, found in a family from northern Sweden. The pathogenic effect of the mutation was a propensity to generate soluble aggregated Aβ, protofibrils. These species of Aβ are toxic. This inspired him to target Aβ protofibrils with immunotherapy and they developed an antibody selective for Aβ protofibrils, mAb158. In 2003, he co-founded BioArctic, based on the discovery of the Arctic mutation. BioArctic has signed a long-term license agreement with Eisai Pharmaceuticals of Japan on the clinical development of lecanemab. Results from phase 3 came in September 2022, and primary and all key secondary end-points were being met. He was awarded the Bengt Winblad’s prize for increased understanding of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (2022), the Rudbeck Medal for scientific discoveries, Uppsala University (2021), the Khalid Iqbql Lifetime Achievement Award in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation (Alzheimerfonden) Grand Research Prize (2019). 

"Interim observations on developing drugs for people living with AD: What do they want, what can they have, and how can we do better?" 

Rachelle Doody, MD, PhD - Houston, TX (USA)

Rachelle Doody is a distinguished neurodegeneration expert with a profound commitment to advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Extensive industry, clinical and academic medicine experience have shaped her views of personalized care and meaningful outcomes for patients.   As the Global Head of Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease and Neurodegeneration Franchise Head at Roche Pharmaceuticals and the US affiliate, Genentech (2016-Feb. 2024), she successfully created and led late-stage development programs for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, aiming to provide comprehensive solutions from diagnostics to therapeutics. Board certified in Neurology and Psychiatry, Dr. Doody trained at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and McGill University in Montreal. While at Baylor College of Medicine, she founded and directed the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center and was the Effie Marie Cain Chair in AD Research.  She also holds an MA/PhD in cognitive anthropology from Rice University. Dr. Doody has served on steering committees for the National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and the executive committee for the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute. Dr. Doody was the Principal Investigator for the Phase 2 and 3 development of donepezil (Aricept), the most widely-used AD therapy globally, and contributed to the development of most of the other approved AD treatments as well as several under development. For over 30 years, Dr. Doody has worked with biotech and pharma companies in the design and execution of trials for cognitive and behavioral treatment of AD. She has contributed to efforts to globalize approaches to AD, advising on guidelines in China, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines, and educating investigators throughout Europe and Asia on study design and outcome measures to support global studies. Dr. Doody has published over 235 original articles in this field, has been awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease group in 2018, and is Immediate Past-Chair of the US Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable.  She is a Distinguished Alumna from Rice University and Distinguished Faculty Award winner from Baylor College of Medicine.

 

"Fluid biomarkers in research, clinical trials, and clinical practice" 

Suzanne E. Schindler MD, PhD - Associate Professor of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (USA)

Dr. Suzanne Schindler is a clinical neurologist and neuroscientist focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer disease. She completed the MD/PhD program at Washington University, where she studied the basic biology of apolipoprotein E metabolism. Dr. Schindler then trained in clinical neurology at Washington University and completed a fellowship in dementia. Currently Dr. Schindler sees patients with memory concerns and coordinates biomarker testing for the Washington University Memory Diagnostic Center. She leads the Fluid Biomarker Core for the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center. She received a large R01 to evaluate novel fluid biomarkers. She is very interested in translating research findings into clinical practice. Further, she has a particular focus on understanding and reducing disparities in healthcare.