Alzheimer's Breakthrough

CBS Channel 12
West Palm Beach, Florida
A possible breakthrough in the battle against Alzeheimer's disease.
More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's.
Ohio State researchers are testing a new drug that may be able to change the course of the disease.
the drug works like a vaccine... given every three months or so.
it's in the final stage of testing. Dr. Debra Cherry, Executive Vice-president of the Alzheimer's Association said, "What this vaccine does, is it enters the brain and it picks up the plaques and cleans them from the brains of people with alzheimer's. What we may be able to do is stop the progression of the disease in those who are already affected and perhaps if we find people early enough prevent them from developing the symptoms of alzheimer's disease."
Hundreds of patients will be given the drug through an I-V.
If it's successful, the next step.......read the whole article

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Alzheimer's Association Grant Furthers Successful Research at UMass Lowell

MarketWatch
'SmartPill' Uses Vitamin Formulation to Improve Brain Health, Memory
Researchers at UMass Lowell have demonstrated success in improving the memory and brain function of patients with Alzheimer's disease, findings that will be published in the December/January issue of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Called the "SmartPill," the vitamin-based formulation has been shown to improve memory and recall speed in normal adults and Alzheimer's patients, without side effects. On Monday, Oct. 20, the Alzheimer's Association presented a grant, awarded competitively at the national level, to support additional clinical trials to test whether the formulation can delay the onset of the disease.
James Wessler, president and CEO of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, presented a check for $240,000 for three years to UMass Lowell Prof. Thomas Shea, the lead researcher on the "SmartPill." A licensing agreement to bring the pill to the market under the name MemoryXL to be sold without a prescription is in negotiations.
"This formulation is the first, non-prescription, low-cost intervention for Alzheimer's disease," says Shea, a professor in UMass Lowell's Biological Sciences Department. "One can start this at the first indication of memory problems, or even before for general brain health, instead of waiting for the severe deterioration of advancing Alzheimer's."
Shea, representatives of the Alzheimer's Association's Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter and UMass Lowell, including Chancellor Marty Meehan, were among those who attended.....read the whole article