In this presentation, The Cure Is Now outlines the current state of two major neurodegenerative diseases—multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—highlighting their prevalence, impact, and the lack of curative therapies. For MS, the speaker details its autoimmune nature, life‑expectancy reduction, and treatment evolution from injectable drugs (Rebif, Copaxone) developed by the Weizmann Institute to the first oral therapy, Gilenya (Novartis), approved by the FDA on September 22, 2010. Brain imaging (MRI/fMRI) is noted as a tool to visualize damage. For AD, the talk cites roughly 4.5 million U.S. patients, the progression from short‑term to long‑term memory loss, and the limited efficacy of approved drugs: three acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (Aricept, Razadyne, Exelon) and the NMDA‑receptor antagonist Namenda (approved 2003). Average cognitive benefit is modest (3‑4 points on a 70‑point scale). Emerging strategies include vaccine‑type therapies targeting amyloid plaques and gene therapy promoting nerve growth factor (MGF) to protect cholinergic neurons. The organization emphasizes its active role in funding and supporting research, noting that over 400 AD drug candidates were in trials in 2008, with a quarter reaching Phase 3, underscoring an unprecedented pace toward a cure.
Chapters
The Cure Is Now is adamant about its support of research and technology for chronic and debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's and MS. Multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's are two neurodegenerative diseases for which there is presently no cure. They both have a wide range of severity that often begins asymptomatically at earlier stages of the disease and can finally be totally debilitating, as anyone with an older relative suffering from one of these diseases knows well. In the case of MS, people suffering from the disease can have their projected lifespan reduced by 5 to 10 years. New drugs are coming out at an increasing rate to treat these chronic diseases. On September 22nd, 2010, a new drug, Gilenya, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This is the first oral MS treatment and treats the most common form of MS, relapsing MS. Previous treatments included the drugs Rebif and Copaxone. MS is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the nervous system. The cause of MS is unknown, and it is not considered a hereditary disease. It wasn't until 1993 that the first MS medication was made available, and it wasn't until September 2010 that a drug, Gilenya, was available as a pill. The previous drugs all needed to be injected. Copaxone is a once-daily injection, and Rebif is a 3-times-weekly injection. Rebif and Copaxone were both developed by the Weizmann Institute, and the pill-form MS treatment Gilenya was developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Brain imaging techniques such as MRI and fMRI reveal the highly detrimental effects of MS on brain tissue. Alzheimer's disease is also a very debilitating disease for which there is currently no cure. Approximately 4.5 million people suffer from Alzheimer's in the United States alone, It starts by affecting short-term memory and in the later stages of the disease affects both long- and short-term memories. Since there is no cure, the goal of most treatments is to improve patient memory function and quality of life. There are two types of drugs that have been approved to treat Alzheimer's disease, but they both have a very limited effect. These two drugs are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and a single NMDA receptor antagonist that acts by blocking NMDA receptors and inhibiting overstimulation by glutamate. The 3 acetylcholinesterase inhibitors by their brand names are Aricept, Razadyne, and Exelon. Namenda, the NMDA receptor antagonist, was only approved in 2003 for treatment of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's. Patient response to these medicines varies greatly, with some patients responding very well to the drugs as measured by memory tests and family evaluations. On average, however, the drugs are only effective by about 3 to 4 points on a 70-point scale. There are other efforts at new drug development to treat Alzheimer's, including vaccine-type treatments and gene therapy. A vaccine-type therapy currently undergoing tests is administered every 13 weeks by monitored IV injection. In this medication attaches to plaques and chews them up. The plaques are protein and are very stable structurally. The gene therapy approach typically promotes nerve growth factor in those affected by Alzheimer's. The nerve growth factor, or MGF, both prevents cholinergic degeneration and improves memory. The Cure Is Now is actively pursuing research, development, and funding efforts for each of these presently incurable diseases. The rate at which new treatments are being developed and tested has never been higher. Over 400 pharmaceutical treatments for Alzheimer's alone were in trials in 2008, with roughly a quarter proceeding to Phase 3 trials. The time has never been better for a cure.
