Treatment to Reverse Dementia Moves to Human Trials

A potentially ground-breaking new technique using ultrasound to clear toxic protein clumps believed to cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease is moving to the first phase of human trials, reports the Yucatan Times . Developed in 2015 at the University of Queensland, this treatment has proven successful across a number of animal tests and would be a drug-free way to possibly combat dementia. Initial research focused on finding a way to use ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, with the objective of helping dementia-battling antibodies better reach their target in the brain. However, researchers were surprised when early tests with mice revealed the targeted ultrasound waves cleared toxic amyloid protein plaques from the brain without any additional therapeutic drugs. "The ultrasound waves oscillate tremendously quickly, activating microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy brain synapses," stated Jürgen Götz, one of the researchers on the project back in 2015. Since then, the research team has worked to further refine the technique. The latest announcement concerning the upcoming move to human trials is underpinned by a sizable funding injection from the Australian government. A phase 1 safety trial involving humans with Alzheimer's will kick off later this year. It should be noted that, in practical terms, the treatment is still probably at least a decade away from real-world clinical applications assuming everything is successful between now and then.