On the broader front against Alzheimers, however, the latest discovery suggests that Alzheimers may eventually be beaten. Along with academic researchers, many drug companies are hot on the trail of the disease. And pharmaceutical companies dont spend the time and money to study things unless they think they have a good chance of developing a drug, says Gorman. Thursdays report gives encouragement that further study may eventually yield a payoff. But for now many questions still remain to be answered, not the least of which is this: If presenilin is indeed shown to be involved in causing Alzheimers disease, is it the only, the main or one of several causative factors?
Scientists Unlock One of Alzheimers Mysteries
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A research team reported in Thursdays issue of the journal Nature that it had identified an enzyme, presenilin, that controls the production of a protein believed to be responsible for causing Alzheimers disease. Some 4 million Americans suffer from the debilitating memory loss. This is encouraging news for those afflicted with the devastating disease, says TIME medical columnist Christine Gorman, but Alzheimers is still far from being conquered. As with so many other medical discoveries, doctors and patients need to remain cautious. The report is significant from a research point of view, says Gorman, but it needs to be verified with further testing. For the moment it has no clinical applications.