Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder. Even though there is no treatment to reverse or halt the progression of the disease, there are medicines available to treat the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
There is a great deal of scientific research underway currently that brings us closer each day to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure for Alzheimer’s. Incredible progress has already been made in unraveling the causes of Alzheimer’s as well what happens in the brain as the disease progresses. All over the world scientist and pharmaceutical companies race to find treatments that might prevent, delay, stop, or even reverse the nerve cell damage that leads to the devastating symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
As of October 6th, 2011 Science Daily published current information about the research advances towards a cure for Alzheimer’s. A team of scientists who work at The New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory made some important advances in patient-specific stem cells that could impact not only the treatment of Alzheimer’s but also Parkinson’s and diabetes.
Scientists for the first time were able to derive embryonic stem cells from individual patients by adding the nuclei of adult skin cells to unfertilized donor oocytes. This achievement is noteworthy because such patient-specific cells could potentially be transplanted to replace damaged or diseased cells without rejection by the patient’s immune system. Further work is still needed before such cells could be used in cell-replacement medicine; however, this is an important step closer to creating new healthy cells to replace damaged and lost cells which could eventually lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
If you or a loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, there are currently great Alzheimer’s Care providers available to you. Visit our Alzheimer’s Care Providers page to find facilities nearest you.
