Meher Rakkar Per.

6 3/3/11

A recent discovery made at the Scripps Institute regarding the disreputable Alzheimers Disease is shocking scientists everywhere. Greg Sutcliffe, who led the study, is a Scripps Research Professor. His team used data collected through numerous tests performed on mice to back up their hypothesis. They agreed that amyloid, which seems to cause this dissembled disease, is created, not in the brain, but in the liver. One of many enzymes found in the liver, Presenilin2, seems to be causing this disastrous disease. As the levels of Presenilin2 in the liver increase, so does the amount of amyloid found in the rats brain. Because this complex enzyme is found in the liver, but not in the brain, scientists at the Scripps Institute have assumed that the harmful amyloid is created in the liver, then transferred into the brain through the blood stream. A full test of this was performed soon after the discovery using a cancer medication commonly referred to as Gleevec. This drug is not able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and therefore, is the perfect candidate for the test. This medication also stops the production of Presenilin2, and therefore was used to conduct this experiment. Within the Alzheimers Rat the Presinilin2 found in the brain had reduced drastically, providing crucial information, as well as proof that the harmful amyloid may be produced outside the brain, then brought in through the blood stream.

This discovery could touch the lives of more than 5.1 million people. Those who suffer from Alzheimers, as well as their despairing families, many of whom are over the age of 85. The

results of these tests can help doctors, researchers, and scientists to discover a cure for the dire disease. This can save the lives of millions of people, as well as open new doors to discovering cures for other related diseases. It also creates an open-mindedness of scientists about how different diseases are caused, more out-of-the-box thinking.