Alzheimer’s researcher needs help to be at forefront of field

By Glynnis Grainger
A total of $2.2 million in State Government grants has been provided to the McCusker Foundation for Alzheimer’s Research to support WA Australian of the Year and Santa Clara Bentley acolyte Professor Ralph Martins’ work at Edith Cowan University, but more funding is needed.

“This funding now positions us at the forefront of the international research community to develop a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s Disease,” Prof Martins told The Record.
“Basically, from Australian Imaging Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL), we have brought technology to Perth that has enabled us to look into the brains of people during life and definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Currently, Alzheimer’s Disease is still conclusively diagnosed only after death when the brain is examined for amyloid plaques.
“However, the AIBL study was limited as State Government funding to look into the brains of people only allowed us to study 20% of people – 200 (subjects).
“This State Government funding has provided $1.6 million to study all participants in the AIBL study of ageing.
“This is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind in the world involving the Perth team and Alzheimer’s researchers in Melbourne in partnership with the CSIRO throughout the country.
“This funding will enable us to follow up these study participants over a period of four years and this will result in placing AIBL ahead of any research organisation internationally.
“This brain imaging study Positron Emissions Tomography (PET) amyloid imaging can only be done in Melbourne and Perth.
“The funding from this PET imaging study will in turn serve as ‘gold standard’ or benchmark that will facilitate the blood test to be detected much earlier.
“Thirty per cent of healthy older people over the age of 60 will have amyloid in their brain and the PET imaging of the healthy ‘controls’ will now allow us to distinguish those people who are at high risk of getting Alzheimer’s from those healthy controls who will not get Alzheimer’s.
“The State Government has also provided $600,000 towards a state-of-the-art machine which will enable our scientists to examine several hundred fats (lipids) in the blood simultaneously and thus allow for the identification of those fats that are unique to Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Prof Martins’ colleague at the National University of Singapore has this machine in Singapore, where there was none before in WA.
This machine will be established at ECU, where the Centre for Alzheimer’s Research and Care is based.
To establish facilities to house and maintain this machine costs over $200,000, which has been kindly given by the Dean of ECU, Prof Tony Watson.
Prof Martins continued: “This, in turn, will greatly contribute to the development of our blood test.
“I am very grateful to the State Government for its foresight and very tremendous support. But there is an urgent need for funding to be made available to employ scientists who will work together to measure the different fats and proteins needed to develop and establish this essential early diagnostic test.
“Furthermore, this outstanding AIBL study, which is leading the world with the progress it has already made, desperately needs funding for its continuation in order to follow up participants so that the productive power of the PET imaging studies and the diagnostic blood biomarkers can be established.
“Hopefully, the Federal Government, or private enterprise, will recognise the significance of this work and provide support to ensure outcomes are achieved in a timely fashion, eg five years.
“It is important to note that the AIBL study examined 1,100 participants over three years, with funding from the Federal Government of $3 million and $1 million from a pharmaceutical company, as opposed to the research group in the US where $US60 million was provided by both Government and private enterprise to study 800 people over the same period of time.
“Given that the Australian team has clearly demonstrated that it can deliver with virtually limited funding, this should inspire private enterprise to support this initiative to ensure the completion of the study so that this important work gets completed in Australia to benefit all Australians, and will no doubt have worldwide (impacts) which will be enormous.”
Prof Martins’ late father-in-law, George Lewis, had Alzheimer’s Disease in his 60s and was the inspiration for his son-in-law’s research career in this disease.
Mr Lewis had a Law degree in Burma and came to Australia with his family in 1971, and became a psychiatric nurse.
For donations, please contact the McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Inc, 184 Hampden Road, Nedlands 6009, telephone 9347 4200 or Dr July Edwards, Executive Manager, McCuskerEM.hph@ramsayhealth.com.au or
www.alzheimer’s.com.au.