SEARCh aims to to support and assist those suffering the degenerative diseases of old age, especially, but not exclusively, those categorized as neurodegenerative.
Alzheimer’s affects some 500,000 people in Australia; Parkinson’s 75,000; Multiple Sclerosis 25,000 and Motor Neuron Disease 2,500.
Including other less common neurodegenerative diseases the total number of Australians affected by these diseases approaches 700,000.
Worldwide those affected would be in the order of 70 million.
There is a huge amount of research and donated money expended in the research of these diseases. Difficulties abound: Alzheimer’s disease, identified over 100 years ago and attracting enormous research activity and funding, has remained obstinately impenetrable to definitive therapeutic applications. The best “treatment” available for AD (at the risk of significant side-effects), is a drug that maybe delays the rate of decline for 6 months. Then it is business as usual.
Things are not that different with Parkinson’s disease. Medications aim to slow the progress of the disease eventually run out of puff.
There are currently no treatments for MS or MND.
SEARCh recongnises many of these diseases have equivalents in animals. Our mission is to investigate diseases mimicking those seen in the human with the overall objective being to apply the knowledge gained to the equivalent disease as manifested in the human. This is an approach barely touched by research efforts, the exemplar being MND which has an exact equivalent in the dog but, is considered as a canine malady separate to the human disease and is certainly not the subject of intensive research.
Dr Harry Corbett of SEARCh, is currently working with two internationally noted researchers (a professor of neurology and a professor of cell biology) and, as the research expands to encompass neurodegenerative diseases of humans this will include recognised specialists in the various diseases.
Owners of dogs affected by Canine Degenerative Myelopathy are encouraged to make contact with SEARCh with a view to expanding our knowledge of this disease.
Currently Dr Harry has had success in reversing the clinical signs in selected cases and is keen to build on what he has discovered so far.
Of course to continue this research we need people to donate financially; research of this nature does not come cheaply.
Visit the blog to learn more about the work done by SEARCh.