Drug Trial Gives Hope to Alzheimer's Sufferers

Scientists in the United Kingdom have tested a drug, called Rember, which shows tremendous promise for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The illness, as many know, causes a slow deterioration of memory and cognitive function. Nicknamed "the long goodbye" by many physicians, Alzheimer's is often the hardest on those close to the patient, who are confronted with the bit-by-bit loss of the person they know and love. However, the patient must also suffer the embarrassment and pain of knowing the effects of the incurable condition, and many fear becoming a burden to their families.

That's why the promise of this new drug is so uplifting. In medical trials among 321 patients, there was an 81% difference in the rate of mental decline between those who took Rember and those who were given a placebo. According to researchers, after a 19-month period, those who took the new drug had no significant decline in mental function.

The Goose has previously reported on research pertaining to excess protein, or plaque, which builds up in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers, and treatment focused on this plaque. Rember, technically known as methylthioninium chloride, treats instead a protein called Tau, which builds up inside the cells of the brain responsible for memory. This different angle of treatment may be responsible for Rember's apparent success.

Further trials are planned, however Rember may be available as early as 2012.

To read more about this remarkable drug, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm

Scientists Discover New Piece to the Alzheimer's Puzzle

Harvard Medical School, US

For quite some time, doctors and scientists have acknowledged the presence of beta-amyloid (a sticky protein) buildup in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. What has remained unknown is whether the plaque was a cause of the disease, or merely a side effect. The fact that beta-amyloid buildup can be found in the brains of some non-Alzheimer's patients pointed to the latter.

However, in a recent study led by Dr. Ganesh M. Shankar and Dr. Dennis J. Selkoe of Harvard Medical School, rats injected with a specific form of the protein exhibited Alzheimer's symptoms. Meanwhile other rats, injected with different forms of beta-amyloid, showed no symptoms. Therefor it seems that a certain strain of beta-amyloid may in fact be a contributing cause of Alzheimer's, while other harmless strains are not.

In the constant struggle to understand this mysterious disease, such tiny clarifications are priceless. Understanding the exact cause of Alzheimer's may prove to be the key to finding a treatment, and now science is one step closer.

To find out more about the study, visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,370002,00.html