£1 Million Study to Investigate Non-Invasive Treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

File photo of an elderly man holding a walking stick dated May 18, 2017. Joe Giddens/PA Wire

University researchers have been granted £1 million to investigate a non-invasive treatment for dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

A team of scientists at Nottingham Trent University will be using focused ultrasound and light therapies to deliver targetted therapeutics to the brain via specialised microbubbles.

Researchers hope that used in combination with ultrasound, these microscopic bubbles can temporarily open the blood-brain barrier and allow the stem cell-derived therapies inside the bubbles to pass through to the brain, hopefully repairing and reversing any neurological damage.

The blood-brain barrier protects the brain, stopping toxins and other harmful substances in the body from reaching it, but it means that therapies are unable to reach the brain, too.

Scientists will be using MRI so they can monitor the physiological effect of the treatment in real time.

Researchers are also investigating the use of photons—light particles—to provide a boost of energy to the cells in the brain and blood-brain barrier, aiding healing as quickly and naturally as possible.

Key to enabling the study of this approach is the development of a laboratory model of a 3D blood-brain barrier, using cultures of human brain cells, to screen potential therapeutic targets.

The £1 million funding for the research is coming from the Eranda Rothschild Foundation.

Dementia on the Rise

According to the NHS, more than 944,000 people in the UK have dementia, meaning around one in 11 people over the age of 65 have the condition.

That number is set to rise to 1.6 million by 2040, with researchers at Nottingham Trent warning that cases are “rising rapidly even among younger people.”

Treatments for these diseases currently focus on relieving the symptoms, but the damage caused is irreversible and the neural degeneration of each disease cannot be prevented or halted.

Dr. Gareth Cave, head of the Nanoscience and Drug Delivery Group in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology, said on Monday, “These are illnesses that do not discriminate and once they have taken hold, they rob people of the ones they love the most and valuable years together.”

Cave continued: “By harnessing knowledge spanning a range of fields, we are pursuing a totally different and truly innovative approach. We believe the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia could lie in the use of non-invasive techniques and natural materials.

“These deeply powerful yet far safer tools for combatting the symptoms of these diseases could pave the way for routine treatments that transform – and save – the lives of sufferers.”

Parkinson’s

Dementia is not a single disease, but is a term used to describe a decline in brain functionality. It is caused by a number of different diseases and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease is believed to be caused by the abnormal build-up of two proteins, called amyloid and tau. Amyloid plaques build up around brain cells and deposits of tau form “tangles” within brain cells. Currently, scientists still do not understand how amyloid and tau are involved in the loss of brain cells.

Michael J. Fox speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative September 2023 Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. Noam Galai/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative

Similarly, Parkinson’s disease is a condition caused by a loss of nerve cells in a very small part of the brain called the substantia nigra, which is used for controlling body movements. Symptoms of Parkinson’s include slow movement and involuntary shaking. Again, it is unclear exactly what causes the loss of cells, but most experts think that a combination of environmental and genetic factors could be responsible.

Perhaps the most well-known people to have had Parkinson’s are former heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016, and Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox.

Last year, Apple TV+ released a documentary, “STILL,” which chronicles Fox’s life and his battle with the disease. The actor said he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, while shooting “Doc Hollywood.”

During a scene in “STILL,” Fox recalled the first time he noticed a symptom of the disease, describing waking up one morning and noticing his pinky finger “auto-animated.”

In 2010, the actor founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and he and others have raised nearly $2 billion for Parkinson’s research.