What’s on the horizon? The next era of alzheimer's treatments and diagnostics

Over the last few years, we have seen the approval of the first disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, signifying a poignant turning point for the field. The next generation of therapeutics and diagnostics promises to define the future of treatments – based on the biology of aging approach – with a focus on combination therapy trials, novel biomarkers, and new approaches to Alzheimer’s prevention. Following the JPM Healthcare Conference, experts from various sectors including academia, biotech, industry, philanthropy, and VC will come together to facilitate a timely and engaging discussion on the state of the Alzheimer’s research and what’s to come in the year ahead.

Laurence Barker

Partner, Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF)

Dr. Laurence Barker is a Partner at SV Health Investors focussed on the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF). With over 20 years of venture, biotech and pharma experience, Laurence has supported the funding and formation of numerous DDF companies developing transformational new medicines for dementia. He joined SV in 2016 having played an active role in setting up the DDF. Prior to SV, Laurence was Head of Investment Management in Worldwide Business Development at GSK where he was responsible for managing GSK’s venture investment portfolio and led licensing transactions for the pharma R&D business. Prior to GSK, Laurence worked in business development at several biotech companies.

Howard Fillit

Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

Howard Fillit, MD, is a geriatrician, neuroscientist, and innovative philanthropy executive, who has led the ADDF since its founding. Dr. Fillit has held faculty positions at The Rockefeller University, the SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine and the Cornell University School of Medicine. In 1987, he joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he is a clinical professor of geriatric medicine and palliative care, medicine and neuroscience. Dr. Fillit also maintains a limited private practice in consultative geriatric medicine with a focus on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications and is the senior editor of Brocklehurst's Textbook of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. Dr. Fillit is the recipient of many awards and honors including the Rita Hayworth Award from the Alzheimer's Association. He is a fellow of the American Geriatrics Society, the American College of Physicians, the Gerontological Society of America and the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Fillit earned his bachelor of arts in neurobiology cum laude from Cornell University and his medical degree from the SUNY-Upstate Medical University.

Christian Howell

Chief Executive Officer, Cognito Therapeutics

Christian Howell is a recognized healthcare leader possessing over 20 years of experience across startup and corporate landscapes, managing P&L from early stage to mature markets. Currently, Christian serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Cognito Therapeutics, a medical device startup pioneering the use of non-invasive neuromodulation to treat neurodegenerative diseases and improve cognitive performance. Early in his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Christian developed a philosophy that would guide his future endeavors: his work had to make a positive social impact. This led him, over 20-years ago, to medical devices, where he has since navigated responsibilities in business development, commercial leadership, product management, market development, and strategy. At Cognito, Christian leads all aspects of the organization, including P&L management, strategic partnerships, and revenue generation. His leadership fosters a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement across Cognito and helps cultivate partnerships with key stakeholders and industry leaders. Christian is continually looking around the corner and pushing the envelope with innovative, double bottom lined approaches to enhance commercial performance while delivering the greatest impact to patients. A serial intrapreneur, Christian introduced forward thinking commercial strategies to Medtronic’s care delivery, including a multi-sided platform approach to value-based healthcare and owned P&L responsibility for their Integrated Health Solutions program. Prior to joining Cognito, Christian led Emerging Channels at Aetion, successfully navigating entry into Medical Device, Diagnostics, Government, and Value Based verticals; including the establishment of a 5-year strategic partnership with NESTcc, and was a key contributor to a successful Series C fundraise. Christian’s acumen in developing impactful relationships with providers, regulators, payers, and industry leaders has been instrumental in the success of the initiatives he leads, making him a sought-after speaker at top industry events and conferences including occasions at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, the G20, and more.

Michelle Mielke

Chair, Epidemiology & Prevention, Professor, Epidemiology & Prevention, and Professor, Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Michelle M. Mielke, received a BS in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD in neuroepidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is currently Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention in the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Professor of Epidemiology, and Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine. She also directs the Real-world Advocate DAta for Research (RADAR) at Wake Forest. Dr. Mielke works as a translational epidemiologist to further understanding of the etiology and epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases. One focus of her research is understanding the utility of blood-based biomarkers for implementation at the population-level for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Another focus of Dr. Mielke’s research is on understanding sex and gender differences in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Mielke is PI of several NIH- and Foundation-funded clinical- and epidemiological-based grants and is a member of multiple NIH, FDA, and DoD panels. She received the John R. Raymond Mentor Award from the Women Scholars Initiative and is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Section on Neuroscience.

Laura Steele

Senior Vice President – US Neuroscience Business Unit, Eli Lilly & Company

Laura Steele was appointed Senior Vice President, US Neuroscience for Eli Lilly and Company in 2024.  In this role, Laura leads Lilly’s neuroscience business unit (NBU) commercial operations for the United State and is responsible for all aspects of NBU US sales and marketing. Previously, Laura served as President and General Manger (GM) of Eli Lilly and Company UK, Ireland & Northern Europe, where she oversaw business operations across the company’s Diabetes, Oncology, Immunology and Neuroscience portfolio in six countries. Laura also served on the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and as Vice Chair for the American Pharmaceutical Group shaping policy change within the UK. With over two decades worth of experience at Lilly, she has held a variety of roles, including in Lilly’s Corporate Business Development division in the US, Marketing, Value & Access. Laura is currently a Board Member for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Board and Ascencion St. Vincent Indianapolis. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Villanova University), with a Major in Marketing and Minor in Communications.

moderator

Sy Mukherjee

Freelance healthcare journalist

Sy Mukherjee is a veteran healthcare journalist who has been covering the space with a focus on biopharma, drug development, digital health, and the intersection of medicine and technology across the health industry for more than a decade. He has served roles as: the first editor of the industry trade publication BioPharma Dive; a biopharma/digital health/healthcare-specialized reporter at Fortune Magazine for nearly six years, where he authored a biopharma/digital health newsletter, wrote articles for Fortune.com, and reported for the print magazine issue (including two cover stories focused on the digital health revolution and the intersection of data, biology, and health systems), and helped plan, cover, and moderate events at the annual Brainstorm Health conference. Additionally, he served as a consultant at the boutique path-to-market strategy life sciences consultancy IDEA Pharma, focusing on stakeholder-oriented strategic communications for biotech and pharma clients.

Sy has extensive experience moderating webinars and panels at both small and high-profile venues, including panels at Fortune Brainstorm Health and the Biden Cancer Summit. He is currently an independent and freelance journalist still focused on the same space that he's covered for his entire career.