Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, ScD: Optimal Therapeutic Targets for Addressing Alzheimer Disease

“Each trial, although a negative outcome has occurred, has taught us something about how to do better trials and we still believe that the amyloid target is worthy, that wethink there should be an increase in the repertoire of targets that we're testing,and many different kinds of mechanisms should be tested to find optimal treatments for Alzheimer disease.”

At the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, ScD, the director emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and vice chair of the department of brain health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, spoke with NeurologyLive in an interview to discuss therapies currently being investigated for the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

Cummings explains that while there has been much disappointment with anti-amyloid therapy each trial, although a negative outcome, taught the scientific community how to conduct better trials. While there is still promise that the amyloid target is still worthy of investigation, there should be an increase in the repertoire of targets tested in order to find optimal treatments.

Additionally, Cummings spoke of several agents in the pipeline that he is watching closely, noting that the community should be optimistic that a therapy will be found for patients suffering with Alzheimer disease.