The Overlooked Cause of Alzheimer’s: Premature Cell Death and the Need for Change in Research Focus

I read the opinion piece with approval Alzheimer’s and the Elephant; the miracle cures don’t help (14/7). As a professor of Biochemistry at Radboud University, I focused on the biochemical causes of all kinds of autoimmune diseases, in particular rheumatoid arthritis. In the 1990s I also wanted to do research into Alzheimer’s. At that time, amyloid research was already ‘hot’, but we already suspected, supported by a publication about a long-term study among nuns in a monastery, that the so-called ‘plaques’ in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients could be a possibly irrelevant side effect. goods. The nuns were tested and questioned annually for many years to see if they had or developed Alzheimer’s. After they died, they donated their brains to the researchers, who examined them. It turned out that nuns who had developed Alzheimer’s over the years did not have significantly more ‘plaques’ than nuns who died relatively clear of mind. Our biochemical investigation of cell death (apoptosis) led us to think that premature cell death of brain cells might have something to do with this disease. I approached the Brain Institute to receive brain material for research. They couldn’t give us anything, because they needed all their material for research on ‘plaques’ and other Alzheimer’s phenomena. At that time, the AMC was also only interested in amyloid research and plaque-inhibiting drugs. I dropped out disappointed and my group started working on something else. I therefore agree with the aforementioned ‘harmony of error’ and sincerely hope that the sometimes harmful influence and control of pharmaceutical subsidies can be curbed.

W. van Venrooij
emeritus professor of Biochemistry A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of 18 July 2023.
2023-07-18 00:00:00
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