Do Alzheimer’s patients have restored hope? Cancer medication displays ‘high potential’

Indeed, recent Alzheimer’s disease research has brought about renewed hope for patients and families as several studies and drug approvals have been performed with promising results, which perhaps means we could be at the beginning of a new era in Alzheimer’s treatment.

This is probably one of the biggest breakthroughs to date: the licensing of donanemab, otherwise known as Kisunla, for early-stage Alzheimer’s treatment in the UK. This drug is a new approach to battling the disease and brings hope to those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Interestingly, cancer research has also contributed to potential Alzheimer’s treatments. A recent study has shown that a type of drug being developed for cancer treatment could be repurposed to treat early-stage neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s. This crossover between cancer and Alzheimer’s research is not unprecedented. Dr. Jim Ray, Ph.D., from MD Anderson, explains:

“Just as the last decade has seen immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and advanced diagnostics extend the lives of cancer patients, we believe that similar advances in neuroscience will lead to better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.”

Another promising development comes from research into GLP-1 receptor agonists, drugs primarily used in the treatment of weight loss and diabetes. This class of drugs has also shown some promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, adding to the possibilities for therapeutic choices.

Innovative research in mice revealed that a new drug troriluzole reversed memory loss and cognitive decline, and this opened up another avenue of treatment.

It is still at the very early stages, but it gives a glimmer of hope for the future.

“Alzheimer’s treatment will be revolutionized over the next decade,” says Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, a professor at UNLV School of Integrated Health Sciences.

“2024 will be a learning year. We expect information from ongoing trials of potential new drugs and biomarkers to provide critical insight for future development.”

Apart from the new drug treatments, researchers have also made some headway in early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. New biomarkers are being developed that could mean earlier diagnosis and intervention for patients with Alzheimer’s.

While there is no yet cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the latest drug approvals, repurposing of drugs in treatment, and new detection methods for early diagnosis are all significant milestones that bring hope to Alzheimer’s patients and their carers.

With the surfacing of new treatments and ongoing research, the field of Alzheimer’s treatment surely has entered a new and exciting era, full of hope and one that very well might drastically improve the life quality for victims of this terribly devastating disease.