Alzheimer’s Disease

UT Health San Antonio scientists tie obesity to Alzheimer’s-related genes

February 22, 2023

Obesity in midlife and in women most closely linked to dementia. In a new study, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) link obesity with 21 Alzheimer’s disease-related genes, providing a potential mechanistic explanation for why Alzheimer’s is sometimes more frequent among adults who experienced obesity […]



US News: 21 Genes Could Link Midlife Obesity & Alzheimer’s Risk

February 22, 2023

US News and Report features the new research study findings of Claudia Satizabal, PhD, and Sudha Seshadri, MD, of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio. The study reviews the connection between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease-related genes. To read the article, visit USNews.com.



Texas Tribune: The Rio Grande Valley is at the epicenter of an Alzheimer’s spike among Latinos and is now the focus of new research efforts

February 4, 2023

Sudha Seshadri, MD, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, speaks to the spike of Alzheimer’s disease in South Texas and how in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the institute is looking at why there are so many cases in South […]



Alzheimer’s disease clinical trial seeks 21 area volunteers

January 30, 2023

Study will evaluate senolytics — drugs that clear defective ‘zombie’ cells A clinical trial conducted at UT Health San Antonio aims to “stomp” out Alzheimer’s disease. Clearing old, damaged “zombie” cells from the brain may be one way to do it. The study, called SToMP-AD (Senolytic Therapy to Modulate the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease), seeks 21 San […]



A new era in Alzheimer’s treatment: FDA approval on lecanemab

January 11, 2023

Statement from the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio about a timely topic in the news: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, approved lecanemab, a drug that targets the basic pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. The FDA action is an “accelerated approval” of the […]


Texas Public Radio: Clinical trial for first Alzheimer’s drug with effect on cognitive decline looks for South Texas recruits

December 9, 2022

Arash Salardini, MD, neurologist at the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, was interviewed for this story on Texas Public Radio (KSTX) on a clinical trial in South Texas for a drug to treat cognitive decline. The clinical trial, AHEAD 3-45, is to assess whether IV infusions of the antibody (lecanemab) can delay cognitive […]


Can Alzheimer’s disease be delayed or stopped before the symptoms begin? A new clinical trial strives to find answers.

December 1, 2022

The AHEAD clinical trial will assess whether the new Alzheimer’s drug, lecanemab, can delay the onset of dementia in persons who are at high risk of developing the disease. Lecanemab has aroused some excitement recently and has been covered extensively by the media. A separate Phase III clinical trial, published Nov. 29 in The New England […]


Scientists hope to create a health ‘scorecard’ for dementia risk

July 5, 2022

    UT Health San Antonio is site for a new major study of diverse communities is looking at how brain changes and genetics contribute to dementia and Alzheimer’s. UT Health San Antonio is a clinical research site for a new study, Diverse Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia, or Diverse VCID. by UC […]



San Antonio Express News: UTSA awards $4 million to Alzheimer’s researchers around the world

June 9, 2022

Bess Frost, PhD, Bartell Zachry Distinguished Professor for Research in Neurodegenerative Disorders at the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Disorders at UT Health San Antonio, has been awarded $500,000 to advance her studies on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Frost is currently enrolling patients with a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s for a trial studying […]




Rapamycin increases Alzheimer’s-associated plaques in mice, study finds

June 7, 2022

The research also reveals a novel way to decrease the plaques. This is a potential drug target. Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) have found that oral administration of rapamycin to an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model causes an increase in beta (β)-amyloid protein plaques. β-amyloid […]