Alzheimer’s Breakthrough
Published: January 24, 2005
Alzheimer’s disease robs people of their memory and their ability to learn and to make judgments. It can also cause hallucinations, anxiety and agitation.
Medications can treat the symptoms, but they don’t target the cause.
Now a one-of-a-kind therapy goes after the cause in hopes of a cure.
Each year, more than 4 million Americans will be told they have Alzheimer’s disease.
Neurologist Zoe Arvanitakis, M.D., of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, says we’ve made an impact on the disease, but more is needed.
“There are several FDA approved medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease, so they help with the symptoms of the disease, but they don’t seem to change the underlying course of the disease.”
Researchers from Rush University Medical Center hope to do just that. Dr. Arvanitakis said, “We’re going after something completely new and using a very novel method as well.”
It’s called gene transfer. It uses the drug CERE-110 to send growth factors deep into the brain. Dr. Arvanitakis said the issue up until now has been how to safely and effectively deliver nerve growth factors to the brain.
Now, using very thin needles, surgeons inject the drug into the area of the brain that deteriorates very early on in Alzheimer’s.
Ron Shellady and his wife Sue knew they needed to act fast when Ron got his diagnosis.
“I didn’t want to get any worse. And I, you know, talked to Suzy about it, and I basically says: ‘I don’t care. I’ll do anything,’” Ron explained.
And he did. Last July, he was the first patient in the world to receive this new drug.
Since the treatment, Ron says he’s no longer losing his memory, but only time will tell how effective the treatment really is.
“It’s easier now not to forget; yes, I would say that’s true. I pay more attention. I’m more attentive to things that I have, that I know I have to pay attention to,” Ron said. With six grandkids, he’ll have a lot to keep his eyes and his mind on.
Rush university in Chicago is the only center in the world participating in this research. To participate in the trial, patients must be between 50 years old and 80 years old in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: