Cautious hope in long fight against Alzheimer’s

 New drugs and clinical trials may increase chances of slowing the disease.

From Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed

Last week, Roy Burnham, the father of British prime minister Andy Burnham, died at the age of 86 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

His Alzheimer’s had become so advanced that he did not understand his son had become prime minister.

Staff at his care home later showed him footage of his son entering 10 Downing Street. Burnham described becoming prime minister without his father fully understanding the moment as “bittersweet”.

It is a painful example of what Alzheimer’s can do to a person and their family.

Alzheimer’s slowly damages the brain. Memories disappear. Thinking becomes more difficult. Eventually, people may struggle to recognise even those closest to them.

Someone in the world develops dementia every three seconds, and about two-thirds of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Former US first lady Nancy Reagan famously called Alzheimer’s “the long goodbye” after watching her husband, former president Ronald Reagan, live with the disease for years.

There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s.

But after decades of failed drug trials, scientists are beginning to make progress.

What actually happens to the brain?

Scientists believe two proteins play an important role in Alzheimer’s: beta-amyloid and tau.

An easy way to understand them is to imagine the brain as a complicated communication network.

Beta-amyloid can build up between brain cells, forming sticky deposits known as plaques. Tau, meanwhile, normally helps the transport system inside brain cells work properly. In Alzheimer’s, it can become damaged and form tangled clumps.

Both can interfere with the brain’s ability to function normally.

Newer drugs such as Lecanemab and Donanemab target amyloid plaques and help the body clear them from the brain.

This is an important breakthrough, but these drugs have limitations.

They work best when Alzheimer’s is detected very early. They can also cause side effects, meaning some patients need regular brain scans.

And once the disease has progressed significantly, simply removing amyloid may not be enough.

The next big step

Scientists are, therefore, looking at another target: tau.

If amyloid plaques are one part of the problem and tau tangles are another, treating both at the same time could potentially produce better results.

Drugs targeting tau are still being tested in clinical trials.

At the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, research into tau was a major focus. The direction of research is increasingly moving towards treatments that attack Alzheimer’s in several ways rather than relying on a single drug.

There is reason for cautious hope.

According to the World Alzheimer Report 2026, there are now 158 drugs being tested across 192 Alzheimer’s disease trials.

But there is a major obstacle: researchers need around 55,000 people to participate in these trials.

To find that many suitable participants, as many as 350,000 volunteers may need to be approached.

Clinical trials, therefore, matter enormously. Without volunteers, promising treatments cannot be properly tested. Every successful trial brings researchers closer to understanding which treatments work, which do not, and how Alzheimer’s might eventually be controlled.

What can we do today?

While scientists search for better treatments, there are already things people can do to reduce their risk of dementia.

Look after your hearing and eyesight. Keep your mind active and maintain strong social relationships.

Maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure, and keep cholesterol and blood sugar under control.

Eat a healthy diet with plenty of leafy vegetables, nuts, olive oil and fish. Get enough sleep, avoid smoking, limit alcohol and protect yourself from serious head injuries.

And importantly, exercise regularly.

For people over 60 who are able to walk comfortably, brisk walking is one of the simplest options.

A useful guide is the 1-2-3-4-5 rule: walk once a day, aim to burn about 200 calories, cover around 3km, walk for roughly 40 minutes, and maintain a speed of about 5km/h.

If the weather is bad, walk indoors.

Hope for families, too

Finding an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s would not only change the lives of patients; it would transform the lives of their families too.

Caring for someone whose memory and independence are slowly disappearing can be physically and emotionally exhausting.

That is why the hundreds of Alzheimer’s trials taking place today represent more than scientific experiments.

They represent hope — that one day, the long goodbye may not have to be quite so long. - FMT

Abu Bakar Abdul Majeed is the dean of UiTM’s faculty of pharmacy and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.