Alzheimer's Disease Drug Development: Research and Development Ecosystem

Description

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a growing global public health challenge. The development of new therapies is urgently needed, and a complex ecosystem of organizations has grown to facilitate AD drug discovery and development. Masterfully collating information on the drug development ecosystem, this book emphasizes the contributions of each aspect in the pipeline with a uniform approach to chapters, enabling readers to access relevant information quickly. Topics covered include the use of non-clinical laboratory studies, biomarker development, artificial intelligence, design and management of clinical trials, and funding and financing models. Also discussed is the critical role of advocacy fundraising for drug development. With the approval of aducanumab, the function of the ecosystem has become apparent. This is a definitive overview of how the ecosystem works in transferring an AD drug from its discovery in the laboratory through clinical trial testing to regulatory review and eventual marketing.

Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD, is Director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is an expert clinical trialist and leading figure in drug development for Alzheimer's Disease including, disease-modifying agents, cognitive enhancing drugs, and treatments for neuropsychiatric symptoms. He has broad interests in therapeutic innovation, neuroscience, and the intersection of science, policy, and society. Dr. Cummings was Founding Director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at UCLA; Founder and Director of the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA; and Founding Director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Jefferson Kinney, PhD, is the Founder and Reg Grundy and Joy Chambers-Grundy Chair of the Department of Brain Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Research projects in Dr. Kinney's laboratory focus on the investigation of cellular and molecular mechanisms altered in pre-clinical models of Alzheimer's Disease, with particular emphasis on neuronal and glia interactions and the investigation of novel therapeutic targets. Howard Fillit, MD, Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, is an internationally recognized geriatrician, neuroscientist, expert in Alzheimer's Disease, and an innovative philanthropy executive. Dr. Fillit has had a distinguished academic medicine career and is currently a clinical professor of geriatric medicine and palliative care, medicine, and neurosciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.