Scientists have successfully tested a treatment in mice that stops the progression of Alzheimer's and even sends the disease into reverse.
It will be several years before the experimental treatment can be used on humans but one advantage is that it works at a very early stage. It is hoped the breakthrough could one day enable doctors to stop the disease in its tracks before patients suffer the worst effects.
The treatment is a protein, specifically designed for the job, based on the three-dimensional structure of two other proteins involved in the progression of the disease. It works by sticking to one of these proteins so that it cannot bind with the other - a step that triggers a succession of biochemical events that lead to the death of the nerve cell and ultimately to the patient's symptoms.
Most cases of Alzheimer's develop in those aged 65 or over - affecting about one in 20. But by 85 nearly half will have the disease.
It will be several years before the experimental treatment can be used on humans but one advantage is that it works at a very early stage. It is hoped the breakthrough could one day enable doctors to stop the disease in its tracks before patients suffer the worst effects.
The treatment is a protein, specifically designed for the job, based on the three-dimensional structure of two other proteins involved in the progression of the disease. It works by sticking to one of these proteins so that it cannot bind with the other - a step that triggers a succession of biochemical events that lead to the death of the nerve cell and ultimately to the patient's symptoms.
Most cases of Alzheimer's develop in those aged 65 or over - affecting about one in 20. But by 85 nearly half will have the disease.
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