Obama stem cell plans will 'boost dementia research'

The decision to reverse a pre-existing executive order against federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research in the US is probably going to strengthen international research efforts into diseases including Alzheimer's and dementia, it has been claimed.

Alzheimer's Research Trust chief executive Rebecca Wood said that the decision by US president Barack Obama could open up some "exciting avenues of research" in the UK and Europe and could discover possible treatments for Alzheimer's disease, particularly boosted by increased input from American researchers.

She continued: "Since Alzheimer's and other diseases cause the gradual death of brain cells, stem cell research could lead to completely new approaches to tackling dementia focused on replacing lost brain cells."

And as dementia is a global issue affecting around 26 million people around the world, more global solutions are necessary, Ms Wood concluded.

So far, the Alzheimer's Research Trust has funded 279 research projects in order to make a real progress towards the ways to prevent, treat and cure dementia.

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