FTD Biology and Testing Webinar January 27, 2022

AFTD Senior Director of Scientific Initiatives Penny Dacks, Ph.D., will explain the concept of biomarkers – biological measurements that show specific disease processes in the body. The discovery of a biomarker for FTD could potentially improve the accuracy of FTD diagnoses and help develop life-saving treatments.

Then, Nupur Ghoshal, MD, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, will introduce some of the procedures involved in research – including blood draws, neuroimaging, skin biopsies, and lumbar punctures – and explain what you need to know before undergoing any such procedures, as well as how they contribute to FTD research.

During this hour, you can expect to:

• Learn what biomarkers are and why they are needed to improve diagnosis and treatment for FTD.
• Become familiar with procedures that are often used in FTD research, including how they are done, what the risks are, and why they are so important to lead us into a future free of FTD.
• Gain a sense of what it is like to experience these procedures.

PRESENTERS

Dr. Ghoshal is an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and is a clinical investigator for the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center.

She is the clinical co-principal investigator for an AFTD-funded biomarkers grant that focuses on examining the production and clearance of the protein tau in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD), as well as in at-risk individuals with FTD-associated gene variants.

Additionally, she is the site principal investigator for ALLFTD, a multisite consortium focused on studying the natural history of FTD and developing clinical trial-ready cohorts.

Dr. Dacks leads strategy for AFTD’s research programs and serves as President of the FTD Disorders Registry. Previously, she worked at the American Epilepsy Society, overseeing all mission-related programs in research, medical education, and clinical activities. Before that, she spent five years at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, where she led the development of CognitiveVitality.org and the Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention Program to source and evaluate potential therapies. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Arizona.

This webinar is the second in the Perspectives in FTD Research Webinar Series, hosted jointly by AFTD and the Registry, designed to help FTD-diagnosed persons, care partners, family members, and persons at risk for developing FTD become informed FTD research participants.