Dementia treatment milestone
THERE is hope for Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers after a new treatment was found to combat symptoms and restore memory.
The world-first preclinical research, from Macquarie University in Sydney, used gene therapy to target an enzyme called p38gamma in mice with advanced dementia.
They found that when stimulated the enzyme — which is found naturally in the brain — could modify protein and prevent symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease from developing.
Brothers Professor Lars Ittner and Dr Arne Ittner led the groundbreaking study, which used “good” genetic material to replace, treat and prevent abnormalities in the genes.
Professor Ittner, who is the director of the university’s Dementia Research Centre, said they were shocked to find the treatment not only stopped dementia but reversed its effects.
“What we did was use mice that were over a year old and had a severe memory deficit and we started to treat them with this gene therapy,” Professor Ittner said.
“What we expected to happen was, best case, we keep them at the level (of memory loss) they are at.
“But when we analysed them two months later we found it did not only halt the progression, it reverted to the level of a healthy animal at the same age.”
He said while the treatment didn’t return memory, it restored the ability for the mice to learn and remember. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a cure – we just rendered the brain able to fight the disease itself,” Professor Ittner said.
The brothers first discovered the p38gamma enzyme and its memory-protecting ability in 2016.
Professor Ittner said it was an exciting “new chapter” in dementia research and he was hopeful human clinical trials could begin in the next two years with the therapy, if successful, to be available for human use within 10 years.
WOMBAT’S Wish, Geelong’s not-for-profit organisation that supports children who have experienced the death of a parent, has appointed Nicki Dunne as its first operations manager.
Ms Dunne joins Wombat’s Wish after a career leading the Bellarine Training and Community Hub (formally Ocean
Grove Neighbourhood Centre) over a 22-year period.
Wombat’s Wish president Hannah Dawes said Ms Dunne was well recognised for her work with young people on the Bellarine.
“Through the program Drop In, Nicki and her team were able to support over 3000 young people to cope with the challenges of their day to day lives,” Ms Dawes said.
Wombat’s Wish delivers camps, support services and dedicated programs for children and their families, primarily servicing the Geelong region, Bellarine, Surf Coast and in 2019 expanded to take in Wyndham. Wombat’s Wish has future growth aspirations to support more Victorian children and their families.
Wombat’s Wish is named after the highly successful UK not-for-profit Winston’s Wish.
For more information regarding Wombat’s Wish, visit their website: https://wombatswish.org.au/about-us/