Alzheimers disease:can we detect and cure it?

Alzheimer is a scary disease currently affecting more than five million of the world population over 50 years of age and the number is expected to triple by the year 2050 as the people age. A truly horrifying possibility. So what is it about Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it so terrifying?

This disease affects the brain, which is a tiny computer constantly growing and storing information in chips called as neurons. These neurons are assigned special jobs like judgment, memory, thought, speech etc.  Now as we age, these neurons also age and turn older. For some reason, in Alzheimer’s disease these neurons are gradually killed off and replaced by non-working proteins called as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

The bizarre fact of the matter is,  we don’t really know what causes Alzheimer’s and so we can’t  treat it. And there are no diagnostic tests by which a person can be diagnosed as a potential Alzheimer patient.But recently two bio-tech companies are racing to put the finishing touches to a testing kit by which it will be possible to diagnose a hidden Alzheimer’s patient.

Perth-based drug discovery company Alzhyme has reported considerable success in finding a marker which will latch on to the amyloid plaques which are a major sign of Alzheimer’s disease.With early detection patients can start early treatment in the early stages of disease, when newer drugs can work effectively to retard the course of the disease.