Hope for Alzheimer’s breakthrough

Medical breakthrough ... a potential cause and cure for Alzheimer's disease has been identified. Picture News Corp Source: News Limited

A POTENTIAL cause and cure for Alzheimer's disease has been uncovered by US scientists who have linked it to an immune system malfunction.

Immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine in Alzheimer's patients, researchers from Duke University in North Carolina have discovered.

When they blocked this process with a drug, they were able to prevent the formation of 'plaques' in the brain that occur in Alzheimer's disease, and also halted memory loss in mice in the trial.

This research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience took place in mice and no human trials have yet confirmed it.

New research ... immune cells that normally protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient, experts have found. Source: Supplied

The drug that was used to block the mouse immune response Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), is already being investigated for use in cancer treatment.

Alzheimer's Australia chief executive Carol Bennett has welcomed the research.

"We welcome all research that looks at the effects of drugs that can halt Alzheimer's disease," she said.

"This looks promising in mice but we need to see some clinical trials," she said.

"If the drug is found to be effective it will be a few years before it becomes available," she said.

There are currently 342,000 Australians living with Alzheimer's disease and 1.2 million people caring for them.

The condition involves progressive and frequent memory loss, confusion, personality change, apathy and withdrawal and loss of ability to perform every day tasks.

Memory loss ... more than 342,000 Australians are currently living with Alzheimer's disease and the numbers are forecast to reach 900,000 by 2050. Picture supplied. Source: Supplied

Without major medical breakthroughs in the area it is predicted 900,000 Australians will be living with the disease by 2050.

"It is imperative we find a cure or prolong and delay the progression of the disease," Ms Bennett said.

The Federal Government is funding a risk reduction program for Alzheimer's called Your Brain Matters.

However, funding for the program that advises on diet, exercise and brain training exercises to prolong the progression of the disease runs out on June 30.

The number of people worldwide living with some form of dementia is set to reach 135 million by 2050.

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