Slowing Down Alzheimer’s: The Potential of New Drugs and Improved Diagnostics

That is good news, says Sierksma, but she emphasizes that these drugs will not cure the disease. “When someone develops symptoms, the disease has already been going on for twenty years, so a lot of damage has already been done in the brain. We can’t fix that, but we can prevent further damage.”

The disease could therefore be slowed down somewhat, but patients cannot yet be completely cured. Sierksma hopes that this will be possible in the future, because diagnostics are also improving. This means that the disease can be detected faster and faster and that also gives her hope.

“If we could be there after five years, instead of after twenty years, we could start treatment much earlier. And the earlier that can be done, the greater the chance that one day the disease can also be “cured”.