LONDON, March 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- "What's new" in Alzheimer's disease medical treatments and diagnosis is the focus of the first day's plenary sessions at the 25th International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), March 11, 2010 at the Grand Hotel Palace, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D. of Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, New York, will address "New Treatment Developments" in Alzheimer's, including therapies that have the greatest potential for entering clinical practice in the next few years - bapineuzumab, latrepirdine, and gamma secretase inhibitors. He also will touch on intriguing science that may explain the link between Alzheimer's and diabetes.

"Neuroimaging Perspectives" is the topic of Prof. Frank Jessen of the University of Bonn, Germany. The presentation will cover recent advances in both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) in Alzheimer's. In particular, how the two technologies have contributed substantially to both better diagnosis and understanding the progression of the disease.

Pieter Jelle Visser, M.D. of Maastricht University Medical Centre and VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands will cover "MCI and the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease." Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to cognitive impairment not severe enough to meet the criteria of dementia. Using biomarkers and cognitive testing, it is possible to estimate the risk that a person with MCI will progress to Alzheimer's. Visser will provide an overview of markers for Alzheimer's in people with MCI and discuss how they may prove useful in clinical research, earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Bengt Winblad, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm and Karolinska University, Huddinge, Sweden, will speak on "Ongoing clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease."

The day's second plenary session will focus on the "Global Alzheimer's Movement." Other plenaries will focus on treatments without drugs, and best practices in dementia care. For more information, visit http://www.adi2010.org/

ADI is working closely with the Greek Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in organizing this conference.

Alzheimer's Disease International is an international federation of 71 Alzheimer associations around the world, in official relations with the World Health Organization. ADI's mission is to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their families throughout the world. Please visit http://www.alz.co.uk/adi/.

Contacts:

Niles Frantz, Alzheimer's Association (Chicago), +1-312-335-5777, niles.frantz@alz.org

Marc Wortmann, Alzheimer's Disease International (London), +44-20-7981-0880, m.wortmann@alz.co.uk

SOURCE Alzheimer's Disease International

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