Hope For Alzheimer’s

Decades of basic scientific research have begun to unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our understanding of the processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease has identified multiple targets for the development of experimental therapies designed to stop Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks,” says Dr. Greg Jicha, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

Anti-amyloid strategies hope to prevent the buildup of, or even remove, toxic amyloid plaques from the brains of persons with Alzheimer’s. Other strategies rely on preventing the formation of neurofibrillary tangles or on reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

All these strategies directly target the disease process in Alzheimer’s, and they all stand a chance of slowing or even stopping the devastating disease.

“Which therapy, if any, will prove to be a cure is unknown,” says Jicha. “Will a cure be found this year, five years from now, or longer? Again, the answer is unknown. Reaching our ultimate goal of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is critically dependent on perseverance, ingenuity, commitment, and our ability to unite researchers, clinicians, and persons affected by Alzheimer’s disease as a global community in this struggle.”

This is the dawn of disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, and a cure is on the horizon.

“This message of hope reverberates in the hearts of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones,” says Jicha. “We will not stop until that hope becomes reality.”

CLINICAL TRIALS

Researchers at uk are testing experimental therapies in people with Alzheimer’s disease and more clinical trials will begin shortly:

• Bapineuzimab is an artificial antibody that targets toxic proteins in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Read more at www.icarastudy.com.

• Naturally occurring anti-Alzheimer’s antibodies are produced by some people who may be resistant to the disease. Learn more at www.gapstudy.com.

• Dimebon targets mitochondria (the brain’s batteries) in an effort to prevent cellular corrosion and brain cell death. Read more at www.concertstudy.com.