The Trojan League Associates of San Diego County welcomed USC alums, family and friends to the USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (USC ATRI) in San Diego on September 20, 2017, for “An Evening With Dr. Paul Aisen.” At the event, more than 75 guests heard Aisen, the director of the institute, speak about the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s research and the pursuit to find effective therapies. Aisen explained how the field has developed and grown over the past 15 years, and he shared his thoughts on where it is headed.

In the early stages of study, clinical trials were designed for those who were already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Today, many of the trials are designed as prevention trials. These prevention trials usually seek healthy, older individuals who are at high risk for developing the disease due to a family history of Alzheimer’s and/or other factors.

Aisen also spoke about the history of Alzheimer’s and the scientific quest to understand the causes and effects of the disease. It is now known that the pathological changes begin in the brain long before the symptoms of the disease emerge. The good news is that researchers now understand what Alzheimer’s does to the brain along with what needs to be done to stop it. It is possible that effective therapies could become available within the next five years.

The Trojan League put together the evening to help bring awareness to USC ATRI and the important Alzheimer’s research the institute is conducting. The event included a reception prior to Aisen’s informative presentation and a Q&A. You can view a video of the highlights here.

USC ATRI was founded in 2015 and is an integral part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s mission to create a leading hub of basic, translational and clinical research in neuroscience and neurological diseases. Since its founding, USC ATRI has grown from a team of 30 to more than 100 faculty and staff. For more information, go to https://keck2.usc.edu/atri/.