The field of Alzheimer's disease therapeutic research seems poised to bring to 
clinic the next generation of treatments, moving beyond symptomatic benefits to 
modification of the underlying neurobiology of the disease. But a series of 
recent trials has had disappointingly negative results that raise questions 
about our drug development strategies. Consideration of ongoing programs 
demonstrates difficult pitfalls. But a clear path forward is emerging. 
Successful strategies will utilize newly available tools to reconsider issues of 
diagnosis, assessment and analysis, facilitating the study of new treatments at 
early stages in the disease process at which they are most likely to yield major 
clinical benefits.