New research indicates that an experimental treatment may delay the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms for individuals genetically predisposed to develop the disease. This study, involving families with rare gene mutations, shows that long-term use of amyloid-removing drugs can significantly reduce the risk of symptom onset. Participants in the study, like Jake Heinrichs, who has been treated for over a decade and remains symptom-free, are concerned about potential funding cuts impacting their access to this vital treatment. The results could have profound implications for early intervention in Alzheimer's disease.
If blocked funding stops Heinrichs' doses, how much time do we have? asked his wife, Rachel Chavkin. This trial is life.
The new findings center on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset.
It's still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having, said Jake Heinrichs.
But until now, there haven't been hints that removing amyloid far earlier, many years before the first symptoms appear, just might postpone the disease.
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