Hunting for a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is not only one of the top causes of death worldwide – it is also a condition that is “incredibly devastating” for people, says Martin Tolar, chief executive of biotech company Alzheon. It’s not just the victims who end up suffering, as the friends and family of those affected have to watch helpless while their loved ones lose their memories, their personality and the ability to carry out basic tasks. At present, most treatments “only deal with the symptoms of the disease, rather than altering the course”, but the encouraging news is that this is set to change, in as soon as the next five to ten years.

These breakthroughs can’t come too soon. The large number of people who now suffer from Alzheimer’s has created a“huge unmet demand” for better treatments, says Cassie Doherty of Parkwalk Advisors, afund that specialises in investing in university spin-outs. In the UK alone, over 500,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, which accounts for around two-thirds of all dementia cases (vascular dementia accounts for most of the rest). It’s a similar story across the entire developed world.

The direct cost of palliative treatments, plus the wider costs of the social and medical assistance that most Alzheimer’s patients end