A report on the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) by Taylor Wilson and Jill Disney, staff research champions for NC, SC & GA.
There is so much hope and excitement to take from the research presented at this year’s AAIC. Roughly 14,000 attendees from around the world participated in-person in Philadelphia and virtually, highlighting the truly global nature of this conference.
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Among attendees were our Chapter Executives (pictured above) and Research Champions from across the Carolinas and Georgia. They participated in a Research Mission Immersion program where they were able to sit in on presentations, meet researchers, and get a breakdown of the research to share back home with stakeholders.
If you tuned into any national news July 28 – August 1, you probably saw some of these headlines:
- Blood tests may revolutionize accuracy of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and help people get diagnosed and treated more quickly.
- GLP-1 agonists are a successful class of drugs shown to help with type 2 diabetes, weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease. Protecting the brain may also be a benefit. In people with mild Alzheimer’s dementia, GLP-1 agonist liraglutide (Novo Nordisk) reduced shrinking by nearly 50% in parts of the brain that affect memory, learning, language, and decision-making, compared to placebo.
- People who eat about two servings a week of processed red meat have a 14% higher risk of dementia than those who eat less than three servings a month, according to research. Replacing one serving of processed red meat every day with one serving of nuts and legumes can lower the risk of dementia by about 20%.
- Wildfire smoke is riskier for brain than other types of air pollution, such a motor vehicles and factories.
Of the thousands of scientific presentations from around the world at AAIC, several presentations and posters were from South Carolina-based researchers and investigators from Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.
AAIC 2024 kicked off with an opportunity for our Research Champions and Chapter Executives to have dinner with newly #ALZFunded researchers, or those researchers who have recently received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association to further their projects.
At the table with South Carolina (pictured above), Dr. Zahra Rahemi of Clemson University was able to learn about opportunities to be a part of Walk to End Alzheimer's, present with Research Champions, and overall, engage more with the SC Chapter. Her research centers on advance directives for dementia patients.
Some of our regional #ALZFunded researchers include:
Dr. Eric Hamlett of the Medical University of South Carolina is no stranger to the Alzheimer’s Association, attending Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Charleston in 2022 with MUSC to share information at their table. He was also one of the #ALZFunded researchers who presented his work on supplements and aging at AAIC this year, noting that not all supplements are absorbed the same way into the body as you age, particularly Omega 3 fatty acids. Dr. Hamlett is working on research that would move around the age barrier to allow the Omega 3, delivered in a different way, to have the same brain health protection that it has in earlier life.
Regarding th conference itself, Dr. Hamlett shared, “I am excited about some of the newer technologies that are occurring around biomarkers and monitoring of progression of the disease directly from the blood, and some new improvements that have been made in imaging.”
North Carolina-based researcher, Takiyah Starks serves as a project manager for the Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s
Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. Her research is focused in genetics of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly African Americans and underrepresented populations. Ms. Starks was first interviewed in San Diego at AAIC 2022 by research champions, and the work she presented then is still ongoing. Her presentation for AAIC in Philadelphia included detailed results on the barriers of recruiting African Americans to genomic studies.
When asked about what is most exciting for her at AAIC this year as an #ALZFunded researcher, Ms. Starks shared, “I think what I am most excited about are the diverse groups of people that are attending this conference, as well as doing research in the Alzheimer’s space that will impact not only individuals in the United States, but individuals globally. So I think we have more researchers that are willing to engage and incorporate and be more inclusive with some of our communities of color.”
Georgia researcher, Dr. Whitney Wharton is a proud #ALZfunded researcher whose lab at Emory University’s School of Nursing was well-represented at AAIC this year. Dr. Wharton presented on her work to engage sexual and gender minority (SGM) caregivers of Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) through the work she leads with Dr. Jason Flatt of UNLV and Dr. Joel Anderson of UTK on the
R.I.S.E. Registry (Research Inclusion Supports Equity).
In addition to better understanding the need of SGM ADRD caregivers, this community participatory based research also aims to help other researchers design their data collection practices to learn more about LGTBQ+ caregivers and people living with dementia. As evidence of the breadth of research they lead in Atlanta, the Wharton Lab also had a poster presented at AAIC by Dr. Brittany Butts and Enid Swatson, MPH about lumbar puncture for research procedures, a standard biomarker that they used with participants.
AAIC is the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Each year, AAIC convenes the world’s leading basic science and clinical researchers, next-generation investigators, clinicians and the care research community to share research discoveries that’ll lead to methods of prevention and treatment and improvements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
Read more about the highlights from AAIC24.
Leading research efforts, like the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference are made possible by the funds raised through Walk to End Alzheimer’s, The Longest Day, and other Association fundraising efforts.
Learn more about how you can get involved and support breaking research today.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association leads the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.™ For more information, visit www.alz.org or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.