[Good Brain 2023] Yang Dongwon "A Turning Point for Dementia... Domestic Digital Technology to Gain Attention"

Yang Dong-won, Director of the Korean Dementia Association
'Implications of Trends in Dementia Diagnosis and Treatment' Keynote Lecture

Advancements in Diagnostic Technology and Emergence of Fundamental Therapeutics
Expectations for Domestic AI Diagnostic Support and DTx Development

"This year will be a turning point for dementia."

Yang Dong-won, Chairman of the Korean Dementia Association, attended the 'Good Brain 2023 Conference' hosted by Asia Economy on the 20th at the Orchid Room of the Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, and gave a lecture on the topic of 'Trends and Implications in Dementia Diagnosis and Treatment.' Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Yang Dong-won, Chairman of the Korean Dementia Association and Professor of Neurology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, stated at the ‘2023 Good Brain Conference’ hosted by Asia Economy on the 20th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, during a lecture titled 'Implications of Trends in Dementia Diagnosis and Treatment,' "Methods to diagnose dementia are being developed at a very rapid pace, and treatments are also emerging."

Recently, fundamental disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for Alzheimer's dementia, which had not been available before, such as Biogen and Eisai's Aduhelm (Aducanumab), Leqembi (Lecanemab), and Eli Lilly's Donanemab, have been flooding the market overseas. Regarding diagnosis, traditional imaging diagnostics are being supplemented with artificial intelligence (AI), and methods for easy diagnosis through blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are evolving.

Professor Yang emphasized the importance of dementia by saying, "When I ask outpatients, they say the scariest thing is forgetting the people they loved and that their own existence is forgotten," adding, "I think 'being forgotten' is the most frightening aspect of dementia."

[Image source=Pixabay]

First, Professor Yang pointed out that dementia is not simply about memory loss when it comes to diagnosis. He explained, "When people think of dementia, they mainly think of memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction, but it also involves abnormalities in daily living functions, such as being unable to adapt to work or forgetting how to operate a washing machine," adding, "Dementia manifests as a combination of problems in daily living, psychiatric symptoms like depression and hallucinations, and additional gait disturbances. If only memory declines, it is considered mild cognitive impairment (MCI)."

Professor Yang highlighted that as the number of dementia patients increases, diagnostic methods are diversifying, and new developments are underway domestically. He emphasized, "Since many IT-based companies in Korea have advanced significantly, they are providing important information that is difficult to see with the naked eye," noting that companies like VUNO, Neurofit, and Neurogen are developing technologies that complement and advance the main diagnostic methods of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) using AI technology. He also mentioned that with the discovery of various biomarkers, PeopleBio has developed Alzheimer's blood diagnostic technology, and techniques to detect amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau (Tau) through cerebrospinal fluid are gaining attention.

Eisai and Biogen's Alzheimer's dementia treatment 'Leqembi (generic name: lecanemab)' [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Regarding the emergence of DMTs such as Aduhelm, Leqembi, and Donanemab, he said, "This is the first time the effect of removing Aβ to slow cognitive decline has been proven," expressing optimism, "Leqembi slows the rate of cognitive decline by 27%, which means it suppresses progression for about six months, and this difference could widen over two or three years." However, he also warned about the side effect known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA). He explained, "As Aβ detaches from the blood vessel walls, bleeding can occur," adding, "Patients on anticoagulants or those with the ApoE4 gene need to be cautious or may be excluded from treatment."

Imocog's dementia screening tool 'CogScreen' (left) and digital therapeutic device (DTx) 'CogThera'
[Photo by Imocog]

Meanwhile, he also expressed expectations for digital therapeutics (DTx) based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and electronic medicine. Professor Yang said, "Many digital drugs for cognitive training have been developed, and I think these could also be noteworthy tools," explaining, "There are also attempts to activate the brain through electrical or magnetic stimulation." Currently, companies such as Imocog, Rowan, and Silvia Health are developing related DTx in Korea, and Neurofit is also working on electronic medicine development.

Finally, Professor Yang advised, "Developing new drugs and diagnostic technologies is not done in a single field but requires collaboration among basic research, clinical practice, and pharmaceutical companies," adding, "For more successful development, more collaboration and sustained effort over time are necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.