Drug discovery for rare dementias

February 28 is Rare Disease Day. Dementia is not often thought of in the context of rare diseases because it’s most common cause, Alzheimer’s disease, affects nearly 50 million people worldwide. However, there are other, rarer causes of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF; NY, USA), where I serve as Chief Science Officer, supports drug research for several of these. Understanding non-Alzheimer’s dementias Vascular cognitive impairment is the second most common form of dementia. It is actually a collection of several syndromes including subcortical leukoencephalopathy. This is a type of small vessel disease that damages white matter, leading to...