Alzheimer’s Disease Research at NYSCF

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At NYSCF, we are developing new Alzheimer’s disease treatment strategies on several fronts:

1. At the NYSCF Research Institute, we are using our own, powerful robotic system to create stem cells for research. Our NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array® can rapidly, cleanly, and reproducibly create stem cells from skin or blood, and then reprogram these cells to become the brain cells implicated in Alzheimer’s (neurons, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes).
2. Once made, these brain cells allow us to investigate the molecular and cellular causes of Alzheimer’s as it develops so that we may see the actual decline and failure of diseased cells, a model referred to as “disease-in-a-dish.”
3. We can also use these cells to rapidly and efficiently test drug efficacy and potential toxicity, identifying the safest and most promising compounds to advance to clinical trials.

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Definition

Alzheimer’s is a devastating neurological disease that causes dementia (cognitive decline severe enough to interfere with normal life) and eventually leads to death.

Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Alzheimer’s symptoms manifest differently in each patient. However, most patients become forgetful and confused in early Alzheimer’s disease stages. As the disease advances, patients can experience symptoms such as:

• long-term memory loss
• difficulty completing familiar tasks
• wandering or restlessness
• mood swings
• difficulty in speech, thinking, concentrating, and understanding
• personality changes
• loss of appetite
• poor judgment
• depression
• aggression & agitation

The information provided is not medical advice and is not intended to be medical advice. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please talk to your doctor to determine the best course of action for your situation.

Alzheimer’s Statistics

• 4 million people in the United States are living with this neurological disease and 8.2 million more will be diagnosed by 2050.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States.
• 1 in 3 seniors will die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
• Every 65 seconds, someone in the United States develops the disease.
• In 2018, the direct costs to American society of caring for those with Alzheimer’s will total an estimated $277 billion, including $186 billion in Medicare and Medicaid payments.
• The cost of treating Alzheimer’s is expected to quadruple, to more than $1 trillion in the U.S. by 2030, if no breakthrough treatments reach the market.

Alzheimer’s Causes

The two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s pathology are amyloid-beta plaques and neuron tangles—structural abnormalities found in the brain. However, we do not know exactly how these abnormalities arise or what role they play in the disease.

Alzheimer’s is also known to be influenced by genetics, with certain genetic variants increasing one’s risk of developing the disease. Using the power of stem cells, our scientists have the ability to study an unprecedentedly large number of genetically diverse cells from people with Alzheimer’s, enabling us to examine how genetics influence disease onset and progression as well as identify new risk-related genes.

Alzheimer’s Cure

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. There are a few approved treatments that temporarily slow cognitive decline and address symptoms of the disease such as mood and sleep changes, but there are no therapies that reverse the disease course. Finding effective Alzheimer’s disease treatments and ultimately, an Alzheimer’s disease cure, is one of NYSCF’s central goals. We are working toward achieving this goal by using stem cells to study the actual human cells affected by the disease and discern its underlying causes.