Muriel Levy and her 79-year-old husband, Gordon Hallerman, have been married for 10 years. It's the second marriages for both.
Hallerman's good health faded two years ago when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
"There are times when I would walk into the kitchen and then not remember what it is I was going in there for," Hallerman said.
"Gordon is doing well and we work together, but certain things he was able to do he could no longer do," Levy said.
But what if he could reverse what Alzheimer's has taken away?
"What we've been studying is a new medicine that helps the brain to recover from injury," said Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.
Gandy explores the Alzheimer's brain ─ the plaque buildup that destroys the nerve cells responsible for memory.
"What this medicine does is to help form new brain cells," explained Gandy
The drug doesn't have a name yet, only a number ─ BCI-838 ─ and must undergo clinical trials in the elderly.
"We are aiming at people who perhaps already have some problems," Gandy said.
For Hallerman, who sang professionally, this is a first — a drug aimed at patients just like him.
"It could be a life change for us," said Levy.
Gandy and his team have tested BCI-838 in mice, and have also tested the drug for safety in humans, in a very small group of young, healthy adults.
Gandy said the phase-one clinical trial will recruit older adults who have mild Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment.
When the trial is ready to begin enrollment, it will be posted on clinicaltrials.gov, and anyone interested can check the site for updates.
DOWNLOAD and VIEW research summary and an in-depth interview with the doctor
from 69News:Home http://ift.tt/1wudtTg
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire