Medical trials are intended to begin in the United States on a new imaging technique developed by ANSTO that could open a new window into new diagnostic options for patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
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| More than 245,000 Australians and 5.3 million Americans are estimated to suffer from dementia. |
There are currently more than 70,000 Australians and one million people in the United States suffering from Parkinson’s disease, while 245,000 Australians and 5.3 million Americans are estimated to suffer from dementia.
The agreement with Bayer Schering Pharma stems from studies performed by ANSTO scientists, Dr Andrew Katsifis and Ms Filomena Mattner in the mid-1990s which found new ways to get images of neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is believed to be an early characteristic of the above mentioned debilitating diseases.
Dr Ron Weiner of ANSTO who played the key role in developing the relationship with Bayer Schering Pharma says that this Australian-grown research could be a great step towards improving our diagnostic capabilities for a range of important neurological conditions that are now understood to be related to the inflammation in the brain.
“We anticipate this new technique may be able to positively identify neuroinflammation in the brain,” Dr Weiner said.
“Neuroinflammation may be an early characteristic of diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. We also believe it may be a crucial tool for researchers seeking to find treatments and cures by allowing simple monitoring of treatment response.”
ANSTO CEO, Dr Adi Paterson said it is rare for agreements like this to be made between Australian government research organisations and pharmaceutical companies.
“It demonstrates that ANSTO research programs are at the forefront of innovative medical research initiatives with the potential to deliver real benefits to millions of people. This agreement is a credit to the researchers as well as those who have fostered the links that have led to this arrangement with Bayer,” Dr Paterson said.