Groundbreaking Research into Alzheimer’s Disease
Doctor’s innovative work at Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation is shedding new light on approaches to the disease.
Dr. Sultan Darvesh, a medicinal chemist, neuroscientist, and behavioural neurologist at the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, has been a pivotal figure in Alzheimer’s research. His innovative approach combines neurology and chemistry, focusing on brain chemistry differences between Alzheimer's patients and those with healthy brains or other dementias. Dr. Darvesh established the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank, a critical resource for this exploration.
His groundbreaking discovery of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), which plays a key role in the progression of Alzheimer’s, has led to pioneering diagnostic technologies. These involve compounds highlighting BChE in PET and SPECT scans, enabling early Alzheimer’s detection – a significant leap from post-mortem diagnosis – and also opens avenues for halting the disease’s progression.
Additionally, Dr. Darvesh’s research indicates BChE’s active role in Alzheimer's development, directing efforts to find a blocking compound to prevent the disease. His appointment as the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation’s Irene MacDonald Sobey Endowed Chair in Curative Approaches to Alzheimer’s Disease in 2014 underlines his commitment to halting the devastating impact of this disease on our aging society.
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