Slowing the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease
"Alzheimer's disease is one of the most important public health problems of our generation," says Dr. Steven M. Paul, director of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell. "As the population around the world continues to age, the number of people afflicted with this terribly disabling and ultimately fatal disease is increasing dramatically."
Dr. Paul and his research colleagues at the Appel Institute are worldwide pioneers in research breakthroughs that promise to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease — and eventually, through early diagnosis, prevent it altogether — lifting a tremendous burden from millions of patients and their families.
"We now have a much better understanding of the genetic factors that alter and in some cases determine who will develop Alzheimer's disease — as well as the neuropathological abnormalities that occur in the brains of patients with the disease," says Dr. Paul, professor of neuroscience, psychiatry and pharmacology. "With new powerful diagnostic tests, we can now detect the telltale signs of the disease 10 to 15 years before a patient even exhibits symptoms." Dr. Paul and his team, along with collaborators around the country, are developing new approaches to both diagnose and interrupt its progress.
"The possibility of slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease is now within reach," he says. "My expectation is that in the next five to 10 years we will find an effective disease-modifying treatment that when used early will either prevent this disease from occurring in the first place or, if already present, dramatically slow it down over time."
The Research Leads to Cures Initiative
Dr. Paul and other Weill Cornell scientists are making significant breakthroughs in understanding, treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease and a host of debilitating diseases. These researchers are the heart of the Research Leads to Cures initiative — a new and critical phase of the Discoveries that Make a Difference campaign.