CURE MAGA JAN26 DOUBLE PG-LINKS - Flipbook - Page 7
Stem cells
reprogram those cells into stem cells,
and guide them to become brain
cells in the lab. These carry the same
genetic information as their donor.
So if the donor has a genetic form of
dementia, the cells show the same
changes. And we can compare these
with healthy cells. It means we can
now see what goes wrong from the
start in diseases like Alzheimer’s –
something we could never do before.
Q. How different does research
feel today?
A. Hugely different! I finished
my PhD in 2008, and there have
been several major leaps forward
since then.
As mentioned, we can now create
stem cells and brain cells in the lab.
We’ve discovered that microglia – the
clean up cells of the brain – don’t just
react to damage. They can actually
drive disease. And more recently,
blood tests are now being trialled to
see if they can diagnose the diseases
that cause dementia earlier and just
as accurately as current tests. That’s
amazing in itself. And could transform
how we diagnose dementia.
Then there’s also the idea of
cognitive resilience, where people
don’t show any signs of dementia
despite their brain showing the
typical changes seen in
Alzheimer’s disease. Some people
carry protective changes in their
DNA that seem to guard them
against diseases like Alzheimer’s.
And even when they also carry
genes that increase their risk of
Alzheimer’s, their brains stay
healthier for longer. Because
something in their biology is
pushing back against the disease.
It’s exciting, because it shows us not
only how a disease takes hold, but
also how the body could resist it. If we
can understand these natural defence
mechanisms, we might be able to
boost them in everyone.
The pace of all this is accelerating
too. We used to wait decades
between breakthroughs. Now they’re
becoming more frequent. It’s a sign
that real change is happening.
Q. And yet, dementia research still
has less funding than areas like
cancer or heart disease. Is that
frustrating?
A. It is. There’s no shortage of ideas
in dementia research. But without
enough investment, many excellent
projects never get pursued. All
too often researchers can't
progress with their work because
the funding just isn't there.
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