July 23, 2007
British and U.S. health researchers have developed a drug one Alzheimers disease expert says would be the Holy Grail if it lives up to its billing stopping, and even curing, Alzheimers disease.
The research team, based at the University of Saint Andrews in the UK, has reportedly developed compounds that can block a nerve cell interaction long associated with development of the memory-destroying disease.
Because of the preliminary results, the Alzheimers Research Trust is funding another three years of work on the project.
Trust chief executive Rebecca Wood says the breakthrough is exciting and holds enormous promise. The number of people afflicted with Alzheimers is projected to double in the next decade are life spans increase and the baby boom generation ages.
Alzheimer's is currently a non-reversible degenerative brain disease, caused by a build-up of plaque in blood vessels serving the brain. The plaque is caused by amyloid protein, which compounds the damage as it interacts with an enzyme called Amyloid Beta Alcohol Dehydrogenase, releasing toxic substances that kill brain cells.
The last year has brought other promising reports of progress against Alzheimers.
In July 2006 a study directed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine identified a faulty molecule in the brain found in cases of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Researchers said this faulty molecule may be responsible for the progression of MCI to mild Alzheimer's disease.
According to the American Health Assistance Foundation, more than 4.5 million people in the United States live with the disease and more than 26 million people are affected worldwide.
