Prognoses for cancer patients have significantly improved in recent decades, but neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's remain a major challenge. While a cure is not yet available, the emergence of the first disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer's, which slow its progression, marks a crucial milestone. These medications, still undergoing price negotiations in Spain, represent the first available therapy for patients with early symptoms, signaling a change in therapeutic approach.
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, which damage neurons. New drugs, such as Leqembi and Kinsula, use antibodies to combat these plaques and slow cognitive decline. Experts are hopeful that similar strategies could be applied to other neurodegenerative diseases with comparable protein accumulation.
Carlos Cruchaga, a researcher at the University of Washington, notes that 80% of proteins associated with Alzheimer's are also found in other neurodegenerative diseases. This opens the door to combination treatments targeting various protein accumulations simultaneously, such as beta-amyloid and alpha-synuclein, which is present in Parkinson's. Many ongoing clinical studies are expected to lead to new approved therapies in the near future.
Barcelona recently hosted the XIV Biennial Barcelona Pittsburgh Conference, a key event for Alzheimer's research. New diagnostic tools were presented, including blood tests utilizing artificial intelligence to identify specific proteins and quantify their presence, enabling disease detection up to 20 years before symptom onset.
Nikolaos Scarmeas, a neurology professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, describes these accumulated proteins as brain "garbage." Early detection raises an ethical dilemma regarding how to communicate a high risk of disease to healthy individuals. Scarmeas also emphasizes the importance of cognitive reserve and an active lifestyle (exercise, healthy diet, social and mental activity) as a "safety net" to enhance brain resilience and delay symptom onset.
Although current treatments are administered to individuals with mild symptoms, experts anticipate a therapeutic revolution similar to that seen in cancer over the past 30 years. In the meantime, healthy lifestyle habits are considered a fundamental strategy to act as a "cushion" that slows disease progression.
