Kate Dyer-Seeley  

Dr. Mario Carillo, one of the leading neuroscientists in the field of Alzheimer’s research, spoke last week at the Alzheimer’s Association here in Portland.  Her talk highlighted the top five clinical trials currently in phase three (the last phase a drug must pass before gaining FDA approval).  I consider myself to be fairly well versed in Alzheimer’s research and in understanding the effects of the disease on the brain, given my personal history with the disease and my work as an Alzheimer’s advocate.  Dr. Carillo was an incredible spokesperson in that she used a variety of analogies to describe the causative effects and resulting damage Alzheimer’s creates on the brain.  My knowledge and understanding of the disease was greatly expanded after her talk and I’ll try to recap the highlights for you.

The good news-Because of the research and groundwork that’s occurred for the past 15 to 20 years scientist have a deeper understanding of the plaques and tangles that manifest in an Alzheimer’s brain.  Traditionally scientists have deemed the plaques and tangles the culprit in Alzheimer’s disease and were focused on researching drugs to attack them.  Now, there’s been a shift in focus.  Scientists are going back in time to discover what causes the plaques and tangles.  They’ve discovered that although plaque causes inflammation in the brain, the plaque itself is a protective mechanism. 

To borrow Dr. Carillo’s analogy, you can think of it like garbage.  Imagine you had no system in place to get rid of your garbage.  At first you’d store it in a spare bedroom, but of course you’d quickly run out of space and before you knew it garbage would be overflowing out of the house.  This is what happens with plaques.  Our brain is saying ”I’ve got proteins.  I don’t like them.  What can I do with them?”  Our brain in an attempt to protect its neuron creates plaque.  The plaque has been building in our system for many years before we see any outward symptoms of Alzheimer’s.  If scientist can figure out why we start to store “our garbage” we may be closer to finding a cure.

In 2008 the Alzheimer’s Association has funded more than $26 million in research initiatives.  The Association is calling for a global effort, with research taking place in 21 countries worldwide.   

The bad news-it takes 15 years and over 300 million dollars to pass a drug through the three phases of clinical trials.  To put it in the perspective of our current economy, a new compound could moved through all three phases of testing for the same amount of money we spend on operations in Iraq EVERY THREE DAYS. 

This post is quickly reaching the breaking point for reading length.  Look for more later this week on the five drugs currently in phase three clinical trials, and love that noggin of yours.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2008 at 8:51 am and is filed under Alzheimer's Info, Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.