A chapter in the development on Alzheimer’s disease research

Summary

Although Alzheimer’s disease, as a clinical-neuropathologic entity, was described one hundred years ago by Alois Alzheimer, the preponderance of knowledge on the disease was accumulated since the 1970s. The dramatic research advances during the last three decades propelled the disease from near obscurity to the forefront of modern biomedical science. The remarkable transformation of this field of study is reflected by the exponential increase in the numbers investigators, publications and funded projects. The current preeminence of dementia research is largely due to the increasing numbers and quality of significant breakthroughs in understanding the molecular neurobiology of the disease. Multiple promising leads now have created an atmosphere of optimism about the prospects of discovering effective interventions to delay the progression of the disease. Some of the key factors that influenced the pace of progress and helped to change the ‘status’ of dementia research were: a) increases in research funding, b) recruitment of new scientific talent; convergence of know-how and technologies, c) several crucial discoveries in molecular neurobiology and d) National Institute on Aging (NIA) initiatives to promote interdisciplinary research programs by creating nationwide network of collaborating investigators and the establishment research infrastructure/resource. This is an account how the evolution of Alzheimer research occurred; a story about critical findings, people and public policies that influenced the amazing progress in understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of the disease and setting the stage for the discovery of a cure.