In the year just past, Alzheimer's researchers, families, and stakeholders felt renewed hope that new treatments might be within grasp. While the Lazarus story of aducanumab may or may not be enough for FDA approval this year, data from its Phase 3 program solidified a broader signal across four different anti-amyloid antibodies that amyloid can be removed from the brain and that maybe--just maybe--this will also benefit cognition and function if given early at a sufficient dose. The prospect that the amyloid hypothesis is druggable, alone, was enough to re-energize the field. The hope that further trials to define the best doses, patient groups, and treatment regimens will eventually pay off was cause for even more enthusiasm. A boost in funding announced as the U.S. Congress headed for its holiday break also gave cause for celebration going into 2020, though the funding picture is less rosy in other countries. The NIH budget for AD research now stands at $2.8 billion, a $350 million ...

Scientists gathered on March 1 in Bethesda, Maryland, for the 2018 NIH Alzheimer's Disease Research Summit, ready to absorb the 82 presentations scheduled over two days. Then a nor'easter forced closure of U.S. government buildings and put the kibosh on Day 2. Even so, researchers seemed impressed by the summit. Scientists interacted across disciplines with colleagues whom they might not otherwise meet, and the NIH took away 75 pages of funding recommendations for future research. "There were a lot of interesting ideas, from basic science to clinical studies," said Marco Colonna, Washington University, St. Louis.