HeidiZamzow

ProblemSolutionPaper
Mrs.Warneke
English12
AlzheimersDisease:FindingtheCure
Morethan5millionAmericanshaveAlzheimers,anditstheunderlyingcause
of500,000deathseachyear(Marsa54).AlzheimersdiseaseisamedicalRubiks
cubeforwhichafterdecadesoftestingandbillionsofdollarsspent,scientistsstillhave
notfoundacure.Importantpoliticalfiguresareevenawareoftheimprintthisepidemic
iscreatingonthepopulationasawhole.In2012,theObamaadministration
earmarked$156millionovertwoyearstofundresearch,bringingthetotalto$530
millionayear(Marsa54).Scientistshavetriedcountlessapproachesandhave
designednumerousclinicaltrials,butnothinghasseemedtowork(Marsa54).Itis
crucialtocurethisdiseaseasfastaspossiblebecausethenumberofAlzheimers
patientsisexpectedtohit100millionworldwideby2050(Marsa54).Notonlyisthe
issueofAlzheimersbecomingmoreprevalentacrosstheglobe,butthenumberof
scientistsworkingtowardasolutionisgrowinggloballyaswell.Althoughscientistshave
notbeenabletopinpointthecauseofAlzheimersdisease,somepromisingsolutions
existsuchasanewdrugthattargetstheimmunesystemandaplantcompoundthat
reducesplaqueinthebrain.
InordertofindacureforAlzheimersdisease,scientistsfirsthavetoidentifyits
cause.InthebrainsofAlzheimerspatients,Betaamyloidpeptideswerefoundingreat

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quantities.Betaamyloidpeptidesareproteinsandareineveryonesbrain,whetheryou
haveAlzheimersornot.However,inpeoplewithAlzheimers,theseproteins
accumulatearoundtheneuronsandthereforedisruptthesignalingsystembetween
neurons,blockingthemfromrelayingmessages(Marsa54).Inotherwords,this
buildupofBetaamyloidpeptidesisconsideredasignificantcauseofAlzheimers
becausetheynegativelyaffectthebrainssignalingsystem.Thissystemisusedto
carryoutdailyfunctionssuchastakingashowerorcookingameal.Althoughscientists
cannotyetprovewhyAlzheimersdiseasedevelops,theseproteinsarestrongly
believedtobea

majorcause.Scientistsaredesperatelysearchingforacurebecause
thisdiseasecreatessignificantmemoryloss,behavioralissues,andultimatelyleaves
peopleunabletocareforthemselves(Phillips1047).Asthisdiseasecontinuesto
presentitselfaroundtheworld,thehumanpopulationwillonlybecomemoredesperate
foracure.Alzheimersdiseasenotonlyhasphysicaleffectsonpeople,butalso
economicaleffectsonsociety(Alzheimersdisease).Astimegoeson,therewillbea
greaterdemandforcaregiverstoassistAlzheimerspatients,whichmaycauseHealth
Caretogobankrupt(Marsa54).ThecostofcaringforAlzheimerspatientsis
projectedtobemorethan$100billionperyear(AlzheimersDisease).Forthesake
ofourpopulation,weneedtofindacureandfinditfast.Eventhoughscientistshave
notyetdeterminedthecauseofAlzheimersdisease,therearepossiblesolutionsthat
mayturnintoacure(Marsa54).
Scientistsbelievethatanewdrugthattargetstheimmunesystemmaycure
Alzheimersdisease.Accordingtoanewstudy,Alzheimersdiseasecouldbe

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preventedorcuredbyanewdrugwhichrebootstheimmunesystemtostop
devastatingmemoryloss(Knapton1).ImmunecellsaffectthebuildupofBetaamyloid
proteins,knownasplaquesinthebrain,thatmaycauseAlzheimers.InanAlzheimers
affectedbrain,thereareimmunecellsthatstopdoingtheirjobandstartmakinga
moleculethatdecreasesimmuneresponse.ThisinturnaffectstheBetaamyloid
proteinsbecausethenormalstrengthoftheimmuneresponseisnottheretoprotectthe
brainfromtheseproteins.Thenewdrug,difluoromethylornithine,orDFMO,iscurrently
beingusedincancerpatientsandhasshownterminationofplaquebuildup.If
scientistsareabletostoptheplaquefrombuildingupontheoutsideofneurons,then
theyhaveaveryhighchanceofcuringAlzheimersaltogether.DFMOhasbeentested
onanimalsanditstoppedAlzheimersthatwasdevelopinginmice.Alongwithstopping
thedisease,DFMOalsoenhancedthememorysoftheaffectedmice.However,this
drughasnotbeentestedonactualAlzheimerspatients,butitisplausibletoassumeit
willstillstopplaquebuildupinAlzheimersaffectedhumanbrainsaswell.A
disadvantageforthisdrugisnotknowingiftheproductioncostswillbeaffordablefor
Alzheimerspatients.IfDFMOisacureforAlzheimersbutistooexpensiveforthe
averagepatient,thenthatpatientisnobetteroffthanheorsheistoday.Also,thereare
manysideeffectstomanufactureddrugs.Thesesideeffectswouldneedtobelimited
tomaximizethenumberofAlzheimerspatientscapableoftakingthisdrug.TheDFMO
drugisaverypromisingsolution,butitstillneedstobetestedonAlzheimerspatients
beforeitcanbeconsideredacure.Untilthen,scientistsstillhavetopursueother
optionsinhopesoffindingacure(Knapton).

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InadditiontothedrugDFMO,thereisanotherpossiblesolutionforcuring
Alzheimersdiseasethatinvolvesaplantcompound.Thiscompoundiscalled
withanamides.ItreliesonanherbusedinEasternmedicineforcenturiesandits
purposeistostoptheeffectsofbetaamyloidproteinbuildupinthebrain,therefore
eliminatingAlzheimers(Erb).Scientistshavetestedthiscompoundonlabmiceand
foundthatitpreservedtheirneurons.Thecompound
,
withanamides,ismadefromthe
seedsofaplantcalledAshwagandha.Sincethiscompoundisplantbased,itpresents
advantagesanddisadvantagesforturningthissolutionintoacure.Anadvantageofthe
compound,withanamides,beingderivedfromaplantistheabilitytogrowmoreofitas
demandincreases.Anotheradvantageofthecompoundmaybetheacceptancebya
widervarietyofculturessinceitisplantbasedandthereforeviewedasamorenatural
solution.However,adisadvantageofthecompoundisthepossibilityofpatientshaving
allergicreactionstoitsinceitisdirectlyderivedfromtheAshwagandhaplant.This
disadvantagewouldproducedisastrousresultssincepatientswouldbedeniedacure.
Anotherdisadvantageistheunreliabilityofweatherconditionstogrowenough
Ashwagandhaplantsgloballyinordertoproducemassamountsofthecure.Thetime
involvedingrowingtheplantsisanissueaswell.Thisplantgrowthcyclewouldnotbe
themostefficientproductionofacure.Also,withanamideshasnotbeentestedon
Alzheimerspatientssoitisunclearifthecompoundwillactuallyreduceplaquebuildup
inhumans.AlthoughitwillbeagradualprocesstotestitonAlzheimerspatientstosee
ifitisalegitimatecure,thisplantcompound,withanamides,couldstillbeavalid
solutionforAlzheimersdisease(Erb).

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Alzheimersdiseaseisaworldwideissuethatisleavingmillionsofpeoplewith
theinabilitytocareforthemselves.Thiscripplingdiseaseissoprevalentthatscientists
areracingforacure.Throughimmenseresearch,anewdrugandaplantcompound
havesurfacedasviablesolutionsforAlzheimersdisease.Eachofthesesolutionshave
advantagesanddisadvantages,buttheyarestillintheearlystagesofdevelopment.
Afterresearchingthetwosolutions,DFMOisthebestoptionforanAlzheimerscure.
DFMOhasalreadyshownthatitstopsplaquebuildupinthebrainasaresultofthe
testsperformedoncancerpatientsunliketheplantcompound,withanamides,which
hasnotyetbeentestedonhumans(Knapton1).Thisdrugcouldbeproduced
anywhereintheworldwithashorterproductioncyclesinceitwouldnotrelyonweather
conditionsandgrowingseasons.Presently,scientistsarestilltryingtosolvethe
Alzheimersmystery.However,withtheamountoffundingandresearchersdedicated
tothisdisease,thehopeforacuresuchasDFMOiscloserthanever.

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