Has a Cure for Dementia and Alzheimer's Finally Been Found?
Researchers from an Australian university claim they've developed the world's first vaccine capable of reversing some symptoms of the disease and even preventing it altogether.
Good news in the world of medicine: Researchers at Flinders University in Australia claim they have created a vaccine that will serve as a breakthrough, capable of preventing the disease and even reversing some of its symptoms, according to the British "Daily Mail".
Dementia is considered a disease that affects the brain, with consequences that include impairment of memory, thinking, and behavior, thus impacting the ability to perform daily activities. According to the World Health Organization, it affects about 47.5 million people worldwide, with an additional 7.7 million new cases each year. Until now, no suitable treatment has been found.
According to the researchers, if the vaccine's development process is successfully completed, it is expected to be finalized in about three years. Thereafter, within a maximum of five years, the drug could be marketed as a vaccine, primarily administered to those aged 50 and above as a preventive shot.
The formula included in the vaccine contains an accumulation of amyloid beta and tau proteins, which will help the immune system produce antibodies to those substances that cause the disease and lead to Alzheimer's.
"This vaccine could be given to everyone, say, when they reach the age of 50, just like flu vaccines are given to at-risk groups, stopping it in its tracks," explains one of the vaccine's developers, Professor Nikolai Petrovsky. "You could be vaccinated against it before it even begins."
He further explained that "the proteins are a bit like your car parked in the driveway. Ultimately, what we've developed is a vaccine that causes the immune system to produce antibodies. These antibodies behave like tow trucks – they come to your driveway, latch onto the protein or car, and pull it out of the driveway."
