In the past years, several medicines have been effective in curing not just one but multiple illnesses. With the recent finding of researchers studying diabetes through the Study of Nasal Insulin to Fight Forgetfulness (SNIFF), an insulin nasal spray is seen to have a potential in curing a neurodegenerative disease, the Alzheimer's.
According to an article in Science Daily, a group of neurologists from the Rush University Medical Center is doing an 18-month clinical trial testing of the SNIFF nasal spray. This nasal spray shall make use of insulin which will be taken by patients at planned intervals to measure the safety and efficacy of the medicine in solving cases from dementia up to Alzheimer's.
In an interview, Neelam Aggarwal, the lead researcher of the study, imparted that there has been a direct relation between insulin levels in the body and the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Aggarwal further explained that when the body poorly regulates insulin, there's a high chance that Alzheimer's can develop at a faster rate. He also added that throughout their observations, patients with Alzheimer's have several insulin-related problems such as insulin resistance and reduced brain insulin.
Scientists noted that the use of insulin nasal spray is not new in the field as it has been existing for years but only a little research was made. In an article in the Scientific American, William Frey II, the research director at Health Partners Center for Memory & Aging, conducted several experiments on using the same method as he and his colleagues believed that the nasal route was a faster route to deliver drugs to the central nervous system.
Aggarwal and his team shall continue on giving life to their SNIFF nasal spray. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the use of nasal insulin for treating Alzheimer's as further research needs to be done. Aggarwal's team shall continue on their tests on participants who will be given nasal sprays with either insulin or placebo.
