Technology News and Headlines

What’s the Deal with Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyloid?

A wave of retractions, including a 2011 Neurobiology of Aging paper, has exposed fabricated data behind the amyloid‑β hypothesis for Alzheimer’s disease. Decades of costly clinical trials targeting amyloid‑β have repeatedly failed to deliver meaningful cognitive benefits, culminating in the controversial FDA approvals of aducanumab ($65,000 per patient per year) and later lecanemab ($26,500 per year), both marred by serious side effects. Meanwhile, alternative theories—such as neuroinflammation, viral and bacterial infections, and gut‑microbiome interactions—have struggled for funding amid a research ecosystem dominated by the “amyloid mafia.” The ongoing focus on amyloid despite mounting evidence of its limited efficacy raises questions about scientific bias and the future of Alzheimer’s therapeutics.