Alzheimer’s patients could have a new method of treatment thanks to recent developments by scientists at the University of Liverpool in Liverpool, England.

The research team, including professor Jerry Turnbull and Dr. Ed Yates from the university’s school of biological sciences, used a family of long chain sugars called heparan sulphates to create a compound that can prevent clumps of small proteins from forming in the brain. The clumps disrupt the normal function of the brain and can lead to memory loss, a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Projects like this that are very close to real applications that may influence people’s lives are very exciting,” Turnbull said.

“I would regard it as one of my most important achievements if a treatment for Alzheimer’s was developed on the basis of our work.”

Turnbull said the chemical compounds they have made, which are modified versions of the blood-thinning drug heparin, slow down the action of the enzymes that form the clumps and may reduce their formation. This drug is different from current drugs available on the market because of the way it treats the disease.

“Most current Alzheimer’s disease drugs only treat the symptoms and do not work on the basic causes of the disease,” Turnbull said.

Turnbull and Yates have founded IntelliHep Ltd. to broaden their research and explore commercial opportunities of developing the drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other important medical conditions. The drug could ultimately help people with related diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

This discovery came at an important time for Alzheimer’s patients.

“There is currently a real need for drugs that target the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease,” Turnbull said. “Hopefully our research can contribute to the development of such a treatment.”

Turnbull said the funding for the company will come from private seed capital and could possibly be funded by a charitable foundation.

Carol Sipfle, executive director of the Greater Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, said this is a new and important discovery.

“It sounds very positive, although I would be cautiously optimistic,” Sipfle said.

“There are many steps along the way before it makes a difference in someone’s life.”

Sipfle said all new drugs need to be tested and be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which could take many years before approval is granted.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association Web site, an estimated 4.5 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, 68,000 being Iowans. Unless a cure or prevention is found, the number is estimated to jump to 14 million by 2050.

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but instead, drug treatments that improve or stabilize symptoms and strategies and activities that may minimize behavioral problems.

The Greater Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offers many services to help patients and their families to deal with the disease, such as support groups and newsletters. The organization also offers a 24-hour help line.

Sipfle said the help line acts as both an information and referral system and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can be used as a support line for families whose loved ones have just been diagnosed with the disease, provide answers to general questions, or even be used for an emergency situation.

Sipfle said the association’s main goals are to provide care and support for people impacted by the disease as well as support research in finding ways to diagnose the disease sooner until a cure is found.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Sipfle said of the research. “Unfortunately, it takes time before people can use it.”