Researchers Identify Potential Drug Targeting Alzheimer’s, Neurodegenerative Diseases Affecting 55 Million

Researchers from institutions including Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals have identified a promising new drug candidate aimed at treating Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, which currently lack effective therapies and affect over 55 million people worldwide. In the UK, a study assessing eligibility for newly approved Alzheimer’s drugs, such as lecanemab and donanemab, found that only about one-third of early-stage patients might qualify for these treatments, which require extensive clinical monitoring. Meanwhile, dementia with Lewy bodies, the second most common neurodegenerative disease, remains without approved disease-modifying therapies outside Japan, highlighting the urgent need for better options given its rapid cognitive decline and high care costs. Additionally, a British biotech company, AviadoBio, is developing a gene therapy targeting a genetic variant of frontotemporal dementia (FTD-GRN), aiming to halt disease progression and potentially offer one of the first definitive treatments for this form of dementia, which affects a younger demographic. These advances underscore ongoing global efforts to address the growing medical and caregiving challenges posed by various dementias through both novel pharmaceuticals and gene therapies.