Good news for patients of Alzheimer’s disease: A cure may be coming soon

Alzheimer's disease can wreak havoc in your life. But a new million dollar research may unveil a cure for this condition soon.

The Center for Innovation in Brain Science has received a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. Thanks to this, it can now use big data to conduct research to capture the complexity of neurodegenerative diseases. This new study at the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science will apply a big-data approach, using bioinformatics and computational modeling, to better understand the systems biology of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, say researchers. They also add that the study will try to identify patient-specific therapeutic targets and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of drug combinations to treat Alzheimer's disease.

According to researchers, this will be a two-year project. They will screen for small molecules and repurpose Food and Drug Administration-approved investigational and experimental drugs, or drug combinations, for Alzheimer's disease. For this purpose, they will use big data to capture the complexity of neurodegenerative diseases, which are driven by an array of factors, including genetics, aging, gender, environment and disease stage. This is indeed good news for patients of Alzheimer's disease, which can wreak havoc in a person's life.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia today. More than 44 million people around the world are a victim to this disease. This figure is likely to go up sharply in the next two decades. There is no cure for this disease as yet.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Memory loss is the first symptom of this condition. You may notice short-term memory loss initially. This becomes progressively worse. It also affects reasoning power and decision-making ability. As the disease progresses, you may have trouble performing even simple everyday tasks. This disease can cause social withdrawal, irritability, loss of inhibitions and delusions.

Living with Alzheimer's disease

If you or a loved one has this condition, you can still maintain quality of life with a few interventions. Exercise regularly, follow a healthy diet and form good habits. Give up smoking if you are a nicotine addict. Also, take care of your health. If you have any chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol levels, try to get it under control. These diseases also increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.