
Two NHS drugs slows and could REVERSE devastating Alzheimer's, ‘exciting' study finds
A pair of cancer drugs have been identified as a powerful duo that may tackle Alzheimer's disease, after scientists sifted through 1,300 approved medicines.
1
The American team used cutting-edge computer tools to match the gene changes seen in Alzheimer's patients with medicines that reverse those effects.
They found that two cancer drugs, both already available on the NHS, reduced brain degeneration in mice with the disease, and even brought back their memory.
The study, from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), first looked at how Alzheimer's alters the activity of individual brain cells.
They then searched for existing drugs that trigger the opposite changes, with the aim of rewiring damaged neurons and brain cells called glia.
And when they tested the top two candidates, letrozole and irinotecan, in lab mice, the results were impressive.
One theory of how Alzheimer's comes about is that sticky proteins - like amyloid-beta - start clumping together in the brain years before symptoms appear.
These toxic clumps block communication between brain cells and trigger inflammation, eventually causing the cells to die.
Some scientists believe this buildup is the root cause of Alzheimer's, so clearing it could stop the disease in its tracks.
When combined, the cancer drugs not only halted brain cell damage but also undid toxic clumps of proteins, restored memory and reversed the disease's genetic footprint.
Prof Marina Sirota, senior author, said: 'We're excited that our computational approach led us to a potential combination therapy for Alzheimer's based on existing FDA-approved medications.'
She added: 'Alzheimer's disease comes with complex changes to the brain, which has made it tough to study and treat — but our tools opened up the possibility of tackling that complexity directly.'
The scientists then trawled through the anonymised medical records of 1.4million over-65s and found those already taking the cancer drugs were less likely to develop Alzheimer's.
Dr Yaqiao Li, the study's lead author, said: 'Thanks to all these existing data sources, we went from 1,300 drugs, to 86, to 10, to just five.
'In particular, the rich data collected by all the UC health centres pointed us straight to the most promising drugs. It's kind of like a mock clinical trial.'
Letrozole is typically used to treat breast cancer, while irinotecan is prescribed for colon and lung cancer. Both are already used in the UK.
'So exciting'
Prof Yadong Huang, co-senior author, said: 'Alzheimer's is likely the result of numerous alterations in many genes and proteins that, together, disrupt brain health.
'This makes it very challenging for drug development - which traditionally produces one drug for a single gene or protein that drives disease.'
He added: 'It's so exciting to see the validation of the computational data in a widely used Alzheimer's mouse model.'
The breakthrough, published in the journal Cell, could fast-track trials in humans.
Prof Sirota said: 'If completely independent data sources, such as single-cell expression data and clinical records, guide us to the same pathways and the same drugs and then resolve Alzheimer's in a genetic model then maybe we're onto something.'
She added: 'We're hopeful this can be swiftly translated into a real solution for millions of patients with Alzheimer's.'
Alzheimer's causes a relentless decline in cognition, learning, and memory.
But decades of research have only produced two FDA-approved drugs, neither of which can meaningfully slow the decline. In the UK, no disease-modifying drugs are currently approved or available.
Instead, the UK relies on symptom-managing drugs, such as Donepezil and Rivastigmine.
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia - the most common form of which is Alzheimer's - comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulties having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer's Research UK's Information Services team, previously told The Sun: 'We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
'As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
'That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
'In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
'What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn't belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trans doctor 'tried to mislead' tribunal over phone notes on Sandie Peggie
A trans doctor was trying to 'mislead' the landmark Sandie Peggie tribunal, it has been told. Phone notes made by female-identifying Dr Beth Upton following a dispute with the nurse had been edited, it was claimed. Ms Peggie was suspended from work at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, after she objected to the trans medic using the female changing area on Christmas Eve 2023. The 51-year-old has since launched an employment tribunal against NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton. Yesterday it heard that NHS Fife did not commission a forensic or in-person check of Dr Upton's phone in May 2025. The health board's security analyst 'did not have a technical answer' for discrepancies on dates on Google Notes made by Dr Upton, the hearing was told. And IT expert Jim Borwick agreed with the suggestion the trans doctor 'was trying to mislead' the tribunal. Mr Borwick, director of KJB Computer Forensics Consultancy, had been commissioned by Ms Peggie's representatives to compile a report in to the notes. Mr Borwick wrote, 'Dr Upton is silent on fact that Notes can be rearranged with relative ease', and that he was 'perplexed' and 'at a loss' as to how the discrepancies had occurred, and was told 'notes did not include patient care allegations Dr Upton made about Ms Peggie'. One note from December 18, 2023, logged: 'Working nights, won't make eye contact, won't acknowledge my presence, haven't had direct conversation but can feel the dismissal/hostility.' But the tribunal heard it was edited on December 26 at 1.21am. Mr Borwick told the hearing: 'In addition to text on that date, this had been added so it is not contemporaneous.' Jane Russell, KC, for NHS Fife and Dr Upton, asked: 'When you said Dr Upton is silent on fact that notes can be re-arranged, you're suggesting that Dr Upton is trying to mislead the tribunal?' The IT expert told her: 'I suppose that's my comment, yes.' Ms Russell asked Mr Borwick if he had been instructed to come up with an 'explanation that there were lies on the part of Dr Upton' and to 'undermine Dr Upton's account of patient care allegations'. But the witness told her he was not 'trying to undermine anything', and added: 'I was told to recover notes about patient care allegations; no reason was given, just to recover those notes.' Ms Russell said in one screenshot, 'the conundrum is that the edited date predates the created date', and asked the witness if 'the only explanation for discrepancy is that Dr Upton is lying about creation dates?'. He said he could not recreate this, and nor could NHS Fife's information security manager Peter Donaldson. The tribunal heard a note entitled 'weird incident 26.08.23' was timestamped showing it was created on October 26, 2023, according to Google. Mr Donaldson told the tribunal: 'I don't believe Dr Upton was trying to mislead us in any way. 'I completely agree this is how Google presents; on the face of it the October date is the earliest date. I don't dispute that. The notes supplementary to that are the same.'


The Sun
18 minutes ago
- The Sun
NHS strike chaos threatens to spread as paramedics REJECT pay offer on first day of doctors' walkout
NHS strikes threatened to spread yesterday as paramedics in the GMB union voted to reject their annual pay offer. It came as a five-day walkout by hospital resident doctors began over pay, led by the British Medical Association union. NHS chiefs said the health service was still 'open for business'. But ambulance crews and other NHS staff in the GMB union yesterday voted 67 per cent in favour of rejecting their 3.6 per cent offer for this year's pay rise. Paramedics joined nursing strikes in the winter of 2022-23 and could vote to do so again if they cannot get a better offer from Health Secretary Wes Streeting. National Secretary Rachel Harrison said: 'We have written to Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues.' The Royal College of Nursing is also angry at getting a lower wage rise than doctors — and hospital consultants with the BMA are also considering striking again. As resident doctors, formerly called junior doctors, kicked off their strike to demand for a 29 per cent pay rise over the 5.4 per cent offer, Mr Streeting warned he could not guarantee patient safety. He said: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have mobilised to minimise the disruption and the risk of harm to patients. 'What I can't do is guarantee there will be none. That's why the BMA's action is so irresponsible.' The BMA has made one exception for its strike so far. It allowed resident doctors to be called in to cover neo-natal intensive care at Nottingham City Hospital to protect newborn babies' lives. Strike leader Dr Melissa Ryan, who works there, said: 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there. "It is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care.'


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
What to know about Ozzy Osbourne's rare form of Parkinson's disease
British heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne died earlier this week at 76 years old, more than 20 years since the 'Prince of Darkness' was first diagnosed with a rare form of genetic Parkinson's disease. The cause of the Black Sabbath frontman's recent death has not been made explicit. By this year, Osbourne told listeners of his SiriusXM radio show 'Ozzy Speaks' that he could no longer walk due to the condition he'd been diagnosed with in 2003. 'I have made it to 2025,' he said, according to People. 'I can't walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I'm still alive.' Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that is characterized by slow movements, tremors, and balance problems, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. Most cases happen for unknown reasons, but some are inherited, the Cleveland Clinic notes. There are several types of Parkinson's disease, including genetic, early-onset, and sporadic: the most common. "Genetic forms of Parkinson's account for approximately 8 percent of individuals receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis,' Deputy Director of Research at Parkinson's UK David Dexter explained in a statement. Osbourne was impacted by a gene called PARK 2, which is also known as PRKN-2. When the gene is mutated, it is the most common cause of early-onset Parkinson's disease. A rare recessive form of the disease may be caused by that mutation. PARK 2 mutations cause about 15 percent of genetic and 4 percent of the most common disease cases with early onset Parkinson's. People are diagnosed with Parkinson's at an average age of 60, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. In Parkinson's disease nerve cells in the brain slowly break down and die. Many symptoms are caused by a loss of those cells that produce dopamine – a mood regulator – in the brain. Decreased dopamine leads to irregular brain activity, according to the Mayo Clinic. People with Parkinson's disease also lose another chemical messenger known as norepinephrine that controls blood pressure and other bodily functions. Parkinson's isn't curable, but there are many different treatment options, including brain surgery. Osbourne had been receiving stem cell treatments, which are used to supplement dopamine loss. Parkinson's disease impacts more than 1.1 million Americans, and it is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. An estimated 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson's every year and death rates have surged by about 63 percent over the last 20 years. While Parkinson's itself is not considered fatal, people can die from complications of the disease, including lung problems tied to muscle weakness that impede the ability to cough and to swallow. Aspiration pneumonia accounts for 70 percent of deaths among Parkinson's patients, according to a federal study. That occurs when bacteria from the mouth is pulled into the lungs. "There's so many different types of Parkinson's; it's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body,' Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne previously told ABC News' 'Good Morning America.' 'And it's like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day." Sharon also told RadioX that Ozzy had to work with a physiotherapist every day to keep his muscles moving. 'I may be moaning that I can't walk but I look down the road and there's people that didn't do half as much as me and didn't make it,' Ozzy said on SiriusXM.