Researchers are optimistic about the potential for groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, with the possibility of a cure on the horizon. Experts suggest that such advancements could materialize within the next five to ten years, marking a significant breakthrough in the fight against this debilitating condition.

During a discussion on the Today programme, hosted under the guest editorship of Sir James Dyson, leading scientists emphasized the promising strides being made in dementia research. They believe these developments could lead to effective treatments, prevention strategies, and possibly even cures for Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, nearly one million individuals in the UK are affected by dementia, with Alzheimer’s accounting for the majority of cases. Alarmingly, these figures are expected to surge in the coming decade. To combat this growing crisis, the Daily Mail has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society in their Defeating Dementia campaign, aimed at raising awareness and supporting treatment initiatives.

Historically, available treatments have primarily focused on alleviating symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of the disease. However, researchers from the University of Edinburgh have shared with the BBC their vision of a future where Alzheimer’s can not only be halted in its tracks but also prevented and, ultimately, cured.

Dr. Claire Durrant expressed a newfound optimism within the scientific community, stating, “The evidence we have at the moment is that it’s a disease, and from past experiences, we know that diseases can be cured.” Her words echo a burgeoning hope that Alzheimer’s may one day be relegated to the annals of medical history.

Dr Claire Durrant said there is now genuine optimism in the field. ‘The evidence we have at the moment is that it’s a disease, and that we know from past experiences that disease can be cured,’ she said.

However, experts cautioned that the brain’s complexity means certainty will depend on the results of future clinical trials.

During the show, the BBC were granted access to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where doctors were removing a tumour during brain surgery.

Dr Claire Durrant (left, pictured with the Duchess of Edinburgh) said there is now genuine optimism about finding a cure for Alzheimer’s 

Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.

Small amounts of healthy brain tissue, normally discarded during such procedures, were instead rushed straight from the operating theatre to Dr Durrant’s laboratory.

She described the tissue taken from patients as a ‘precious gift’, donated on what is often the worst day of their lives.

Speed is critical. Once removed, the brain tissue must reach the lab and be placed into incubators within two hours to remain viable.

There, it is sliced into sections around a third of a millimetre thick and kept alive using oxygenated fluid and specialised equipment.

Dr Durrant and her team can then expose the brain tissue to toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s, including amyloid and tau, extracted from the brains of people who died with the condition. 

The researchers then observe how synapses are damaged – and crucially, how that damage might be intercepted.

‘I’ve not seen so much hope in Alzheimer’s disease research than I do right now and there’s just so much to look forward to,’ Dr Durrant said. ‘I’m really hopeful that we’ll see meaningful change in my lifetime.’

That optimism is shared by Professor Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, who said recent breakthroughs have transformed the outlook for patients.

‘I’m very optimistic that in the short term we will have treatments that can meaningfully slow or stop disease progression,’ she said. ‘In the long term we should be able to prevent dementia entirely and hopefully we’ll get to a cure.’ 

A cure for Alzheimer’s disease could be possible – and life-changing treatments may emerge within the next five to ten years, researchers suggest (stock image) 

She said future treatments are likely to combine multiple strategies rather than rely on a single target. Crucially, the arrival of lecanemab and donanemab, the first disease-modifying drugs – which slow progression rather than simply treating symptoms – has changed the culture of dementia research.

Professor Spires-Jones said: ‘It’s opened the door to more funding, it’s bringing in smart people and it’s bringing in the pharmaceutical colleagues that we need to run these very expensive clinical trials.’

She added: ‘I’m hopeful that within the next five to ten years we should have something that’s much more meaningful.’

Professor Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Most of us know someone affected by the diseases that cause dementia.

‘It’s often felt like there’s been little hope, but that’s changing as we’re on the cusp of huge breakthroughs in truly life-changing research.

‘We’re building our understanding every day and treatments are being developed to not only treat symptoms but also slow progression.

‘We can finally be confident that research and innovation built over decades is coming to fruition – and we’re going to beat dementia.’