BOSTON: Of the 10 leading causes of death, Alzheimer’s disease is the only one for which there is no effective treatment.
The trouble is that the scale of the research has never met the size of the problem. And those who have worked in this field for decades have had limited success bringing attention to the magnitude of this deadly disorder.
But a more collaborative, focused approach between the public and private sectors is beginning to take hold. Scientists engaged in it are making quick progress that promises to ultimately transform Alzheimer’s from a death sentence into a preventable illness.
But now, rather than having many scientists in many places doing research independent of one another—using different methods—public and private sector collaboration is helping unite researchers around a common data set. As a result, we have reached a critical tipping point in the search for medicines that could make Alzheimer’s preventable. New investments in such collaborative research promise to keep up the momentum. To that end, a first-of-its-kind partnership launched last month in Geneva promises to fund the kind of cutting-edge research that could lead to a successful treatment within a decade…