Dr. Balin is an internationally-recognized expert in the field of Alzheimer's Disease research.
An editorial published online March 8 in the Journal of Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease stresses the urgent need for further research and for clinical trials of anti-microbial agents to treat Alzheimer's disease. This major call for action is based on substantial published evidence indicating that certain microbes 鈥揳 specific virus and two specific types of bacteria鈥攁re major causes of the disease.
The editorial summarizes the abundant data implicating these microbes, but the authors claim that until now, this work has been largely ignored, or else dismissed as controversial鈥攄espite the dearth of contradictory evidence. The authors鈥�31 senior scientists and clinicians from around the world鈥攕ay that because of this dismissal, proposals for the funding of clinical trials have been refused, even though more than 400 clinical trials for Alzheimer's based on other concepts were carried out over a recent 10-year period. All were unsuccessful.
Brian Balin, PhD, professor and chair, is one of the editorial鈥檚 authors, and the only one from a Philadelphia institution. 鈥淲e have been studying and reporting on an infectious link to Alzheimer鈥檚 disease for the past 18 years yet acceptance of this approach has been slow in coming,鈥� said Dr. Balin. 鈥淲e need to realistically consider how pathogens invade our nervous system to contribute to major neurological deficits. It is very similar to what we are facing currently in the Americas with Zika virus infection associated with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. We cannot delay as Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is taking an enormous toll on the world鈥檚 aging population. 鈥�
In the editorial, the authors state that opposition to the microbial concepts resembles the fierce resistance to studies some years ago that linked viruses to certain types of cancer, and a bacterium to stomach ulcers. The authors argue that those concepts were ultimately proved valid, leading to successful clinical trials and the subsequent development of appropriate treatments.
鈥淚n consideration of the great social and financial impact of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and the slow progress to a cure, it is imperative for the field to be open to vigorously explore alternative approaches that are supported by experimental findings,鈥� said George Perry, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas at San Antonio and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease.
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