Critical elements of leading

Critical elements of one of the most debated areas of Alzheimer's disease research over the past two decades may be being deliberately manipulated, according to a report in Science. 


According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide. A highly influential paper published in Nature in 2006 helped fund billions of dollars in Alzheimer's research by the US federal government, Science reports. A study that looked at cognitive decline in mice suggests that a specific amyloid protein may be responsible for cognitive decline. This hypothesis has dominated the field ever since, and scientists have worked for years to understand the mechanism by which these proteins can lead to decay. But Tennessee neuroscientist Professor Matthew Schrag of Vanderbilt University said in an article in Science that he and other reviewers identified 10 papers on the protein that deserved a deeper look. 

The report also mentions other prominent researchers who have had difficulty replicating the results of studies on specific proteins. "I focus on what we see in the published images and describe them as red flags, not definitive conclusions," he told Science when his role as a whistleblower was revealed. "The data should speak for itself." The crux of the matter is when many papers manipulate images to better support a hypothesis, with the work of researcher Sylvain Lesné taking center stage.

Lesné, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, is now being investigated by the university. He's co-author of several articles is Dr. Karen Ashe, also a researcher at the University of Minnesota and one of the nation's leading Alzheimer's researchers.

He described the potential manipulation of the images as "harmful" to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, but criticized the idea that his research into amyloid proteins was driving federal and pharmaceutical spending. Finding a cure for Alzheimer's has eluded scientists for decades. Although there are drugs to treat the symptoms of early and middle-stage Alzheimer's disease, only one drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the protein plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease: aducanumab.

Alzheimer's studies

The drug, sold under the brand name Aduhelm and developed by Biogen, became the subject of its own controversy last year. As it is considered for approval in 2021, several FDA officials say there is insufficient evidence of its benefit to support approval. Still, the agency approved the drug, which cost Biogen $56,000. This led to the resignation of three FDA officials, one of whom said that "there is no good evidence that the drug works."

According to the National Institute on Aging, more than 6 million Americans are believed to have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. According to the Alzheimer's Society, more than 850,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia. ... we have to ask a small favor. 

Millions of people turn to the Guardian every day for open, independent, and quality news, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially. We believe everyone deserves access to science and fact-based information and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That's why we made another choice: to keep our coverage open to all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford. This means that more people will be better informed, united, and motivated to take meaningful action. 

In these dangerous times, a global truth-seeking news organization like the Guardian is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owners, which means our journalism is free of commercial and political influence – that's what sets us apart. If it weren't more important, our freedom allows us to fearlessly scrutinize, challenge and expose those in power.