Latest News

Introducing the 2021-2022 PMC Clark Scholars

Posted on June 27, 2021

By Varshini Chellapilla

At the Penn Memory Center and the Alzheimer’ Disease Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania, we are committed to training the next generation of clinicians and researchers. The Christopher M. Clark Scholars program was created to encourage and guide early career researchers as they study the various aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, cognitive aging, and lifelong brain health.

This year’s scholars are Lasya Sreepada, Xueying Lyu, Brianna Morgan, Kyra O’Brien, and Nicole Nissim, who come from diverse backgrounds in bioengineering, nursing and clinical research.

Christopher M. Clark was the founding director of the Penn Memory Center. Among his many accomplishments were his role in the team that demonstrated the ability of a florbetapir PET scan to detect brain deposits of beta-amyloid, his co-development of the Dementia Severity Rating Scale, and contributions to the development of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

The scholars program at PMC was renamed last year to be the Christopher M. Clark Scholars Program to honor Dr. Clark’s achievements as well as his dedication to research and promoting awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.

PMC Community Discussion on Aduhelm (aducanumab)

Posted on June 21, 2021

This past Wednesday, the Penn Memory Center held a community event for PMC patients and families led by co-directors Drs. Jason Karlawish and David Wolk to discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to approve Aduhelm (aducanumab). The focus was the impact of the approval on the PMC’s clinical and research operations.

Alzheimer’s Doctors On Biogen’s New Drug; Tax Inequality — NPR Here & Now

Posted on June 16, 2021

Dr. Jason Karlawish, PMC co-director, spoke about the FDA’s approval of Aduhelm (aducanumab) and what the approval may mean for patients living with Alzheimer’s disease going forward on NPR’s show Here and Now. Dr. Karlawish’s segment starts at minute 10:45.

Decision to Approve New Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease – FDA

Posted on June 7, 2021

By Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, Director, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Today FDA approved Aduhelm (aducanumab) to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease using the Accelerated Approval pathway, under which the FDA approves a drug for a serious or life-threatening illness that may provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments when the drug is shown to have an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit to patients and there remains some uncertainty about the drug’s clinical benefit.

This approval is significant in many ways. Aduhelm is the first novel therapy approved for Alzheimer’s disease since 2003. Perhaps more significantly, Aduhelm is the first treatment directed at the underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease, the presence of amyloid beta plaques in the brain. The clinical trials for Aduhelm were the first to show that a reduction in these plaques—a hallmark finding in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s—is expected to lead to a reduction in the clinical decline of this devastating form of dementia.

We are well-aware of the attention surrounding this approval. We understand that Aduhelm has garnered the attention of the press, the Alzheimer’s patient community, our elected officials, and other interested stakeholders. With a treatment for a serious, life-threatening disease in the balance, it makes sense that so many people were following the outcome of this review. Further, the data included in the applicant’s submission were highly complex and left residual uncertainties regarding clinical benefit. There has been considerable public debate on whether Aduhelm should be approved. As is often the case when it comes to interpreting scientific data, the expert community has offered differing perspectives.

At the end of the day, we followed our usual course of action when making regulatory decisions in situations where the data are not straightforward. We examined the clinical trial findings with a fine-tooth comb, we solicited input from the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee, we listened to the perspectives of the patient community, and we reviewed all relevant data. We ultimately decided to use the Accelerated Approval pathway—a pathway intended to provide earlier access to potentially valuable therapies for patients with serious diseases where there is an unmet need, and where there is an expectation of clinical benefit despite some residual uncertainty regarding that benefit. In determining that the application met the requirements for Accelerated Approval, the Agency concluded that the benefits of Aduhelm for patients with Alzheimer’s disease outweighed the risks of the therapy.

Click the headline or the button below to read this announcement on the FDA website.

If the FDA approves Biogen’s Alzheimer’s treatment, I won’t prescribe it — STAT News

Posted on June 4, 2021

Amyloid plaque in the brain. Photo: Adobe

In a recent essay published in STAT News, PMC co-director Dr. Jason Karlawish argued that, given aducanumab’s “incomplete and contradictory” data and the results of an analysis of aducanumab’s effectiveness and value by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, the FDA should not approve the drug at this time and stated he will not prescribe it to his patients.

Click the headline or the button below to read this article on STAT News.

Neurology Training Steps Up to Focus on Racism and Social Injustice — Neurology Today

Posted on June 4, 2021

Neurology departments are incorporating greater awareness and training for trainees on health care disparities, sources of implicit bias, and social determinants of health. Here, they describe their curricula and future directions for training opportunities.

Roy H. Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN, associate professor of neurology and assistant dean for cultural affairs and diversity at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said neurology training would be lacking without an emphasis on racial disparities, especially since many neurologic conditions are more prevalent in minority communities. The neurology department at UPenn began to focus on diversity and inclusion in its training program in 2017, but the initiative is now seen as the core of everything the department does, from hiring to promoting staff to training students and residents.

Dr. Hamilton sees patients in the Penn Memory Center clinic.

Click the headline or the button below to read this article on Neurology Today.

Penn Just Launched a Neurological Clinic for COVID-19 Long Haulers — Philadelphia Magazine

Posted on June 4, 2021

To address and treat neurological complications resulting from COVID-19, the department of neurology at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine recently launched a clinic specifically for COVID-19 long haulers. The Penn Neuro COVID Clinic — which Penn says is the first clinic of its kind in the region — provides both diagnostic and functional tests for anyone who has previously tested positive for COVID-19. To provide patients with comprehensive neurologic care, the clinic’s four physicians specialize in several areas of the field: Sara Manning Peskin in cognitive neurology, Danielle Sandsmark in neurocritical care, Dennis Kolson in neurovirology and immunology, and Matthew Schindler in neuroimaging. Dr. Manning Peskin sees patients in the Penn Memory Center clinic.

Click the headline or the button below to read this article on PhillyMag.com.

Detecting and treating Alzheimer’s before symptoms set in, with Dr. Jason Karlawish — BeingPatient.com

Posted on June 2, 2021

As part of its LiveTalk series, Being Patient spoke with Dr. Jason Karlawish, co-director of the Penn Memory Center and author of “The Problem of Alzheimer’s,” about the advances in dementia research and diagnostics that have allowed for the early detection of Alzheimer’s. Click the headline or the button below to read this article on BeingPatient.com.

‘That would be dreadful’: Researchers study thought process behind revealing Alzheimer’s test results

Posted on May 28, 2021

By Varshini Chellapilla

If you tested positive for a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease, whom would you tell? Why?

Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB) researcher Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN, conducted two qualitative studies to understand individuals’ decision-making process as they choose whom, why and how to share information regarding their Alzheimer’s disease biomarker and genetic testing results. The study, titled “‘That would be dreadful’: The ethical, legal, and social challenges of sharing your Alzheimer’s disease biomarker and genetic testing results with others,” was published in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences on May 19.

The studies were done in collaboration with three other researchers from Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB): Shana Stites, PsyD, MS, MA; Kristin Harkins, MPH; and Jason Karlawish, MD.

Thank You, Grace!

Posted on May 24, 2021

By Varshini Chellapilla

Dr. David Wolk and Grace Stockbower

Clinical Research Project Manager Grace Stockbower, MPH, is moving on from the Penn Memory Center after eight years.

Stockbower came to the center as a research specialist in 2013, after studying psychology and neuroscience at Haverford College. She worked exclusively on studies led by Dave Wolk, MD, PMC co-director.

“We are extremely lucky that we had an opportunity to work with Grace over these last 8 years,” said Dr. Wolk. “She has played a tremendous role in the culture and operation of the Penn Memory Center and our research studies.

Subscribe To Our Email Newsletter