Doctored: When Alzheimer’s Research Was Built on Lies

For the last couple of weeks, horrified and sort of scared, I’m been studying the book, Charles Piller, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheime’s, Atria, 2025.

And then, fascinated, I watch Bill Gates try to sell me his cure for Alzheimer’s, Brain Honey. Somehow this video strikes me as not quite right. I do not buy and a couple of days later this Bill Gates video is revealed as fake—a lie masquerading as truth.

I renew my study of Charles Piller, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s, Atria, 2025, learning:

The science, they said, was there was not.

For years, they said: “This is the path to tackle the dread disease of Alzheimer’s, and here is my research.”

Millions of dollars went into – rigged scientific studies – asking – and getting more and more research money and prestige they had not legitimately earned.

For one tiny example of trying to clean this up:

“The university’s [the City University of New York] (CUNY) investigative committee found numerous signs that images were improperly manipulated, such as in a 2012 paper in the Journal of Neuroscience suggesting that simufilam can blunt the pathological effects of amyloid—beta. The report concluded that Lindsay Burns, Casssava’s senior vice president for neuroscience and a coauthor of several misconduct or scientific errors.”

This quote also comes from Charles Piller, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s, Atria, 2025, p 194.

To further explain:

[Amyloid beta is a peptide that is primarily associated with Alzheimer’s disease, forming plaques in the brains of affected individuals. It is produced from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) through a process involving specific enzymes, and its accumulation is believed to contribute to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.] Wikipedia

The Amyloid beta was a lovely theory: only one problem: the theory did not work in real life, and money poured into it was wasted.

Meantime real people suffered and died and more and more real people were exposed to these futile drugs and studies. A look at Doctored, p 59 reveals a clear beginning of the Amyloid beta theory: “The boy [Sylvain Lesne’] from Luc-sur-Mer, France] suddenly became a globally noted expert.”

Lesne’ was using fake data – which is only suspected, and proven fake, years and huge wasted resources, later.

My personal motivation for recommending Chapter Five: Alzheimer’s: Mind, Memory, Senses is I know how much and varied the work I put into my 2022 book, Age into Beauty: Checklist.

My motivation is also that I’m personally scared of Alzheimer’s, as I watched a good friend’s husband, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the care he required, and the pain of watching him “disappear,” until he finally physically died.

For myself and Alzheimer’s, I follow the best “good health” advice I can find – while remaining vigilant and skeptical.

Dr. Jo Ann Lordahl is a lifelong author, poet, novelist, and speaker whose work explores empowerment, aging with grace, and the deep questions that define our lives. Her books and reflections — from historical fiction to meditations on creative living — encourage resilience, reflection, and positive transformation.

If this post stirs questions about moral courage, shared humanity, or the work of healing in hard times, consider exploring Dr. Lordahl’s writing — especially her essays and books on reflection and personal transformation. Her voice reminds us that even in upheaval, there is a path toward patience, insight, and compassionate action.