10 promising developments that can help Alzheimer’s patients

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. It’s a fitting time to look at the latest Israeli advances in preventing, diagnosing and treating the progressive and incurable brain disorder. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of the 9.9 million new cases of dementia diagnosed each year worldwide. The disease primarily strikes the elderly population, affecting 30 percent of those over age of 85. AD impacts memory, thinking and language skills, and even the ability to carry out simple tasks.

The disease occurs when a protein called amyloid beta aggregates in brain tissues. These protein clumps kill nerve cells, leading to damage in the brain-function mechanisms. Here are 10 examples of promising Israeli approaches reported within the past two years alone.

PREVENTION

Various genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors can put a person at risk for AD. Among them are diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, depression, cognitive inactivity or low education, and physical inactivity. Preventing the onset of AD is the focus of these approaches: 1. A potential anti-Alzheimer’s vaccine is being developed in Prof. Eitan Okun’s Paul E. Feder Alzheimer’s Research Lab at Bar-Ilan University. Most vaccines work by mounting an immune response toward a weakened pathogen to boost the immune system’s ability to fight the real pathogen. -- More...