Telocyte is changing, Alzheimer’s research has not.
Biogen’s recent news story regarding lecanemab is an example of how the field hasn’t changed. Although the data has yet to be made public,the claims parallel those of other drugs that have claimed efficacy in Alzheimer’s, such as solanezumab, aducanumab, etc. In each case, we see tantalizing statements, but the actual data suggests a possible, small, and transient delay in the clinical course, which then proceeds downhill. The side effects –ARIA (amyloid-related imaging abnormalities), bleeds, and neurologic deficits –are usually substantial (e.g., 40% of patients), the FDA is torn, medical systems and insurers are hesitant, and investors worry about long term litigation losses. The problem is that we are desperately torn between what we want to believe and the marginal data. There is a deeper problem, however, in that most researchers, most clinicians, most pharmaceutical companies, most investors,and indeed most patients don’t believe that a cure is possible. Grasping at straws, we treat symptoms instead of causes, and claim we have an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s. It is as though we were to announce we have an effective cough suppressant and then claim it as a cure for Covid.
While most of Alzheimer’s research continues to target biomarkers and symptoms, Telocyte has a different approach. This year, we have made some changes and continue to hone in on a practical and fundamental approach to curing Alzheimer’s. We have added a new Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Radi Julina, who has decades of experience as a global executive for a major pharmaceutical company and has run Alzheimer’s trials, as well as serving as the managing director of global investment firm that has committed to funding Telocyte. We also have a new Chief Technical Officer, Georgi Gospodinov, who has a deep technical background handing blockchain data for major firms, and who is overseeing our clinical data security and usage. Our new deck and summary are freely available for anyone who’d like to understand these and other changes (including both financial and clinical projections) as we move toward human trials.
We have also submitted a new paper for publication,outlining the potential for treating not only age-related dementias, but age-related cardiovascular diseases, a paper we expect to open quite a few eyes and, ultimately, enable us to change medical care around the world. We not only anticipate being able to cure and prevent diseases that have resisted effective treatment, but show that we can lower medical costs globally, while improving health and showing a return on investment. The only way this can happen is by understanding the fundamental aging processes that underlie age-related disease and that offer uniquely effective points of intervention.
With that in mind, I have agreed to write and edit a new textbook for Elsevier Publishing (Aging: How Aging Works, How We Can Reverse Aging, and Prospects for Curing Aging Diseases) in conjunction with coauthors from UCSF, MD Anderson, Mayo Clinics, Swansea University, University of Innsbruck, Detroit Medical Center, University of Wisconsin, Harvard University,and Houston Medical Center. We will suggest that not only does cell aging underlie human clinical disease, but that we are now in a position to intervene, effectively and safely, in those diseases.
Telocyte is at the forefront of this revolution. Alzheimer’s is only the first step in a quest to make our lives safer and healthier. We can make a better world.