One of the most heart wrenching mental illnesses is Alzheimer’s. As debilitating as it is to the patient, it is also excruciatingly difficult to watch someone struggle with the illness. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s is also very common. It is disheartening to know that most of us know or have known someone who has struggled with this mental illness. Even if you do not know someone who has struggled with the disease, many prominent individuals such as the 40th president Ronald Reagan, the actor Charles Bronson, and the composer Aaron Copeland have struggled with Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s develops in the brain through miniscule events that snowball into brain cell death. A protein called amyloid beta denotes peptides that cause plaques in the brain while another protein, tau, stops stabilizing defective microtubules. The chemical messengers acetylcholine and glutamate progressively break down as Alzheimer’s worsens, decreasing learning and memory abilities. These proteins and messengers are crucial in Alzheimer’s, and over time, the issues become worse and neurodegeneration becomes severe.

Many different types of medications exist today, such as Aricept, Razadyne, Namenda, and Exelon, which all focus on the chemical messengers glutamate and acetylcholine. These medications attempt to regulate these chemical messengers and slow down the development of Alzheimer’s, but they are not capable of stopping the development of Alzheimer’s completely. However, Alzheimer’s seems to have reached a breakthrough with a new medication called CAD106.

CAD106 has taken Alzheimer’s research by storm with its results. What makes CAD106 intriguing is that it is not a traditional medication for Alzheimer’s; it is a vaccine. CAD106is designed to stimulate amyloid beta antibody responses. Researchers attempted to try a vaccine called AN1792, but unfortunately, that was discontinued shortly after the study began because some patients were developing inflammation of the brain. However, after a 52-week study with Alzheimer’s patients, scientists found that over the course of seven injections, CAD106 is capable of generating a consistent antibody response against amyloid beta. Even more interesting is the fact that no patients developed meningoencephalitis. Unfortunately, we cannot get our hopes up too high. The vaccine is still in the early stages of clinical studies so there is a long way to go before this is approved as an actual medication available to the public. In addition, this study was administered to patients with mild Alzheimer’s, so whether or not this can work for patients with moderate or severe Alzheimer’s is still unknown. Currently, a 12-week interval of seven CAD106 injections is being evaluated. Hopefully, CAD106 will become a medicinal option for Alzheimer’s patients.

Alzheimer’s interferes with people’s lives every single day. Patients, friends, and families struggle with this illness that seems to have a grim outlook for the patient’s future. I have had to watch a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s as well. As difficult as it was to observe, I feel hopeful for future research surrounding this illness. Alzheimer’s research must continue to better the lives of many people; and CAD106 is an extremely promising option. With time and hard work, Alzheimer’s may be of the past and life can become easier for people who fear for the future of their loved ones.