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Post details: Discworld author calls for more funding of Alzheimer's research

30/11/08

09:30:34 pm, by Tom, 233 words, 1494 views

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Discworld author calls for more funding of Alzheimer's research

The author Terry Pratchett, who is best known for writing the hugely inventive Discworld novels, has handed a petition to number 10 Downing street calling on the government to increase spending on research into the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The petition has been signed by 20,000 people, including over 100 leading scientists, and
is backed by the Alzheimer's Research Trust, the UK's leading research charity for dementia.

The Alzheimer's Research Trust strongly supports high quality animal research, and currently funds several projects that involve the use of animals. That they do so is hardly a surprise since animal research has made a major contribution to the development of potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, some of which we discussed recently on our science blog.

Pro-Test wishes Terry Pratchett and the Alzheimer's Research Trust every success on this campaign. Oxford University is an important centre for research into Alzheimer's disease, indeed the new biomedical sciences building for which we have campaigned will soon house some of this work, so we understand just how vital it is that it advances.

Interestingly the BBC report listed Tony Benn, a long time opponent of animal research, among those who have signed the petition. Could this be a sign that he is now willing to listen to the scientists working on Alzheimer's disease rather than his friends in the animal rights movement? Well one can only live in hope!

Regards

Paul Browne

Permalink 2 comments

Comments:

Comment from: Jule [Visitor]

And who do you think you are to encourage the vile use of helpless, imprisoned animals for research - and after decades of torture, maiming, subjecting animals to atrocious experiments - there is no help or reversal for these diseases. Lavish grants wasted on legalized animal cruelty - disgusting.

Permalink 02/12/08 @ 14:36

Comment from: Paul Browne [Visitor]

Actually several treatments for Alzheimer's disease have been developed http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=147
Hansen R.A. et al "Efficacy and safety of donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Clin Interv Aging. Volume 3(2), pages 211-225 (2008)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18686744?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Animal research played a key role in the development of these drugs, for example see these papers.

Sugimoto H. et al. "Discovery and development of donepezil hydrochloride for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease" Yakugaku Zasshi. Volume 119(2), pages 101-113 (1999)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10067428?ordinalpos=56&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Fulton B. and Benfield P. "Galanthamine" Drugs Aging. volume 9(1), pages 60-65 (1996)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8818586?ordinalpos=190&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

These drugs do help people with Alzheimer's, but they only have modest benefits and are far from being a cure, which is why more research is necessary. Alzheimer's disease is not yet a well understood disease, which is not surprising since the technologies (both animal and clinical) required to study it in detail have only become available over the last 10-15 years. Now through a combination of animal and clinical research scientists are beginning to get to grips with what is happening during the course of the disease, and to work out what treatments will be effective at the different stages of the disease. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post there have been some interesting results in the past year.

Permalink 03/12/08 @ 10:16

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