WOW! Hungarians to cure Alzheimer’s disease?

Gyula Dékány and his team had been struggling to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, but now, they discovered a biomolecule suitable for their aim. However, the profit of the development will not come to Hungary. 

The two diseases are very common in the world since our lifespan increases continuously. In Hungary, at least 250 thousand people are suffering from the former, and experts say that in a couple of years, more people can die from these two diseases than in cancer or a heart attack, hvg reported. A Hungarian professor and his team have been researching the issue for 10 years, and now, it seems that they have found a biomolecule able to reverse the process. The technology is ready, and a factory is already under construction in Portugal for the production. Moreover,

animal testing will start next year in the United States.

At the core of the discovery of the Hungarian team is the fact that oligosaccharides in  breast milk not only help the development of babies but can also hinder dementia. Gyula Dékány has been researching in the United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, Denmark, and Germany in the last few years. But the first phase of the production happened in Hungary, where hvg had the chance to talk to him.

He said that now they can produce sphingosine in huge quantities and the required quality. Until now, only a German company could do the same, but only in small quantities. Today, those suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases can receive only symptomatic treatment, but thanks to professor Dékány’s discovery,

the links between the neurons responsible for mental health can now be cured.

Professor Dékány and his team are now able to synthesise all big glycosphingolipids responsible for cognitive mental abilities. Animal tests will start in the USA next year, and Dékány says that, in 2021, even clinical tests can probably begin. Newborns will get it first if it is accepted because it helps their cognitive and physical development.

They do not want to create a new drug but a food supplement of biomolecules that consists of the human body, but they are not present in the necessary quantities, so their lack causes diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Professor Dékány says that the biomolecules his team is working with could cure autoimmune diseases or diabetes too.

He says that the technology only is worth 100 million EUR, but they receive help from Portugal as well as from wealthy businessmen in many other parts of the world. He added that he feels sorry, though, that

Hungary will not profit from this innovation.

Mr Dékány suggested Hungary create innovative centres before, but there was no openness. Therefore, he says, it is not surprising that those who would like to work in the first line of scientific research already left the country. 

Source: hvg.hu