It was announced today that phase III clinical trials of a potential Alzheimer’s treatment, called LMTX, have begun in the UK. About 16 centres across the UK are expected to participate in the trials, which will involve people with mild to moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia researchers at the University of Oxford have released additional data from a clinical trial carried out in 2010, which suggested that high dose B vitamins could halve brain shrinkage in older people with memory problems. The new findings delve deeper into the data, linking B vitamin supplementation to slower rates of shrinkage specifically in areas of the brain affected in Alzheimer’s disease in people with high levels of homocysteine. The results are part-funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK and published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Doctors in the US have found that people with a history of some types of skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published on Wednesday 15 May in the journal Neurology online.
Researchers at the UK Health Forum in London have warned that rising levels of obesity in the UK could contribute to a huge dementia burden over the coming decades, costing the economy around £41bn a year by 2050. The research is presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO), taking place in Liverpool on 12-15 May.
Researchers in Australia have taken steps towards a blood test that could be used to indicate high levels of the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein, amyloid, in the brain. The findings could lead the way towards a low-cost test to identify those at risk of developing the disease. The research is published on 30 April in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
A dementia researcher from Aston University has won a funding award from Alzheimer’s Research UK to understand more about the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. Prof Helen Griffiths will embark on a pioneering one-year study, which has won support from Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood. The research gets underway in April and aims to shed more light on the causes of the disease and highlight potential new areas for treatment.
Alzheimer’s Research UK, which awarded £30,000 for the innovative project, funds research across the UK into preventions, treatments and a cure for all forms of dementia. This study will look in detail at how genes are regulated in the brain and how this might play a role in inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s.
The Aston team believes that small changes in the activity of genes could alter the behaviour of cells in the body and play a role in diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Prof Griffiths, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Aston University, who is heading up the study, said:
“Huge advances have been made in our understanding of how genes are controlled. Small strips of DNA, previously thought of as ‘genetic junk’, have now been found to fine-tune the activity of genes and been linked to diseases such as cancer and heart disease. These strips of DNA encode microRNA (miRNA) and are revolutionising our approach to studying diseases.”
Prof Griffiths believes that miRNAs may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s by altering the function of blood vessels in the brain and affecting the brain’s response to inflammation. To study this in more detail she will look at the effect of different miRNAs on artificial blood vessels grown in the lab, looking for those that could be linked to the disease.
She said:
“By understanding more about miRNAs and their role in keeping our brains healthy, we hope to understand more about what can go wrong in Alzheimer’s. We are also interested in whether treatments could influence the action of miRNAs. This knowledge could help in the design of new treatments for Alzheimer’s. We are really pleased that Alzheimer’s Research UK has invested in this area, which has been relatively poorly studied in the past.”
Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood and Shadow Minister for Universities & Science, said:
“It is great to see new investment in dementia research here in Birmingham. Our Universities have a strong track record in scientific research, but without investment from charities like Alzheimer’s Research UK, that research would grind to a halt. Dementia has an enormous impact – on society, the economy and on the lives of those living with or caring for someone with the condition. More research into dementia is absolutely vital to help those affected now and in the future.”
Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Our Pilot Project funding is awarded to scientists with original and exciting ideas, to drive research in innovative new directions. This is a relatively new area for dementia research and we are very interested to see what the team finds and how this will help our understanding of the factors contributing to Alzheimer’s.”
“There are more than 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK – more than 9,000 in Birmingham alone – and the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. There are currently no treatments available that slow down the disease and still a lot left to understand about what causes it. We are incredibly grateful to our supporters who allow us to fund groundbreaking studies like this one, but sadly research into Alzheimer’s still remains underfunded compared to other common diseases. We need sustained investment in research if we are to find the answers that are so desperately needed.”
Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified specific changes in the energy hubs of nerve cells, that happen early in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings could help to unravel what happens to nerve cells during the disease and identify new targets for treatments. The research is published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 22 April.
A review of existing evidence has concluded that mental exercise may help prevent cognitive decline in older people, but that evidence for other potential preventions is limited. The review, which was carried out by doctors in Canada, is published on 15 April in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Scientists at King’s College London and the University of Arizona have reported ‘striking similarities’ between the brains of fruit flies and humans. The study, which was part-funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, could aid understanding of a number of diseases, including diseases that cause dementia.
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in California have linked a protein called AMPK to the breakdown of nerve cell communication in Alzheimer’s. The findings help to unravel some of the molecular mechanisms behind nerve cell damage in the disease, and could point the way towards new treatments. The study is published in the journal Neuron on 10 April.