A revolutionary wonder jab to help prevent dementia could be available on the NHS in as little as five years in what is being hailed as a “massive breakthrough” by health experts.
The vaccine is currently in the early stages of patient trials and is tipped to become widely available on the NHS within five years.
Targeting toxic proteins in the brain, the jab aims to remove the harmful chemicals before they can cause damage and lead to the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s affects roughly 540,000 people in the UK but this number is expected to rise to almost 1 million people by 2040.
New wonder jab to prevent dementia available on NHS in FIVE years - 'Massive breakthrough'
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The disease affects several aspects of the brain including memory, thinking and ability to function.
Scientists believe it is caused when naturally occurring proteins, known as amyloids become “misfolded” and clump together which causes irreparable damage over time and leads to a gradual decline in cognitive function.
Ruthie Henshall, 57, told the Sunday Express the jab could be a “miracle” for sufferers.
The West End star, whose late mother Gloria had dementia, said: “A drug would be a miracle because there are enormous numbers of people with dementia and it's on the rise because we're living longer.
“This drug could be the hope people have been dreaming of - up there with finding the cure for cancer.”
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The drug is known as ACI-24
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Five centres in the UK are believed to be carrying out studies on the vaccine including Oxford and Cambridge Universities with trials being backed by the Government’s National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Preliminary results of the trials will be presented at a conference in the US in July.
The drug, known as ACI-24, helps the body develop a natural immune defence against dementia by targetting toxic amyloid proteins and clearing them from the brain.
Administered in up to five jabs over the course of a year, the jab prompts the body’s immune cells to latch onto the amyloids and remove them.
Dr Shahid Zaman said he was 'very excited' about what the drug could acheive
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Trials are set to involve two sets of people who have shown early signs of dementia, one group aged 50-58 and the other aged 35-50 who have Down syndrome and are therefore at greater risk of developing the disease.
Dr Shahid Zaman, an Alzheimer’s expert at Cambridge University, said: “This is so important and exciting especially for the Down syndrome population who have a gene which overproduces this toxic amyloid protein putting them at very high risk of this disease.
“We finally have something that targets the amyloid protein and clears it.
“We can be very optimistic this vaccine will prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.”
He added: “Alzheimer’s can take decades of time before symptoms appear due to a build up of damage.
“For over a decade drug companies have put millions of pounds into drugs to target the amyloid plaques in the brain, but previous drugs have been shown to have awful side effects including brain bleeds.
“While this vaccine still has some side effects they are far less. I am very excited.”