알츠하이머병 치료제의 기술개발동향

초록

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the dementing disorders, a group of brain diseases that lead to the loss of mental and physical functions. In 1985, the annual cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in institutional and community settings was estimated between $24billionand$48 billion for direct costs alone and is probably higher today. As our population ages and the number of Alzheimer's patients increases, costs of care will rise as well. Scientists are trying to learn what causes AD and how to prevent it. The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence for the responsiveness to pharmacotherapy of established AD; specifically, the extent to which the benefits of therapy have been proved, the extent to which currently available cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) support cholinergic neurotransmission, and the extent to which currently available ChEIs and new drugs provide neuroprotection. Also, possible therapeutic approaches is discussed based on the information about basic research results of stem cells. The ability of stem cells to participate in brain repair has been increasingly demonstrated in recent studies. Neural stem cell grafts present a potential and innovative strategy for the treatment of many disorders of the central nervous system including AD, with the possibility of providing a more permanent remedy than present drug treatments. Elucidation and exploitation of this new stem cell pharmacology have the potential to revolutionise treatment of neurological diseases.

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