I’ve been planning to write an epic update of the happenings of the recent months for a while now (and thanks @gcalkins for the nudge too!), and finally - here it is!!!
Behind the scenes: Quiet before the storm… 
29 August 2018
We haven’t been sharing a lot on the blog (or here) for a while, as we’ve all been immersed in behind the scenes work. But the quiet is over now - and BIG things are coming!!! :)))
So glad to see this update in the blog. Fantastic report. Thank you so much. This is getting exciting to see some real drug trials coming our way. Bring it on!!!
Hi @gcalkins - thanks! 
To be completely 100% clear though, the next dataset is not testing a specific drug that could treat Alzheimer’s, but instead is trying to disrupt a pathway that leads to stalls (and Alzheimer’s) in the brain. Depending on what we find out (i.e. if the disruption of that pathway does indeed lead to less stalls and reduced or prevented Alzheimer’s symptoms), we could identify actual treatment targets and take to the next step - searching for drugs that could be helpful in targeting that pathway.
So it’s more a fundamental research question than a “drug trial”, but it is indeed very promising and leading that way!!
More about the new dataset soon … 
(we expect to have it in time for the Catchathon on World Alzheimer’s Day)
It’s so incredibly frustrating that this process takes so long! How many years away are you from actually testing the drug? I know, that’s how science goes, but it’s so slow!
Hi Michael - yes, research is frustratingly slow sometimes, including all the long-winded processes that any drug candidate needs to go through to get to the people who need it.
We try to fight it as much as we can! And we’re actually feeling quite hopeful about this new dataset, as it’s not only analyzing the possible causes of stalls (so not just shooting in the dark), but could suggest very specific treatment targets.
Plus, our biomedical collaborators at Cornell are actually doing more research regarding drug screening, but not all of it goes through Stall Catchers! They will in fact be screening FDA approved drugs soon, but using a different method - blood flow measurement (that is faster) for the first screen, which should start this Fall/Winter. Any drugs that look promising would be followed by capillary stall analysis, i.e. via Stall Catchers.
Hope this helps, and patience to us all! 
Egle