Is curing Alzheimer's disease an impossible challenge, or can we achieve it? To explore this, I was invited to watch brain surgery on the forefront of dementia research. In the operating theater at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, I'm amidst professionals deeply focused, even as the room buzzes with the sounds of medical devices.
The patient on the table is under sedation, and a large screen displays his brain MRI, highlighting a tumor that originally developed in his colon and has spread to his brain.
"It's not on the surface of the brain, so we need to make a hole in the cortex," explains Prof. Paul Brennan, a neurosurgery expert, "small enough that we can reach the tumor." The cortex, the brain's outer layer linked to memory, language, and thought, is tougher than the inner sections.
Prof. Brennan cuts through the cortex by drilling into the skull. The revealed brain tissue pulses softly with the heartbeat, a pink hue suggesting its vascularity.
Observing beside me is Dr. Claire Durrant, an Alzheimer's researcher who manages a container with ice-cold, artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Commonly, the cortex segment removed in surgeries becomes medical waste, but at Edinburgh, it's harvested for research instead. At the right moment, Prof. Brennan deposits a piece into the container, a significant step captured visually.
We swiftly depart, traveling to the university. The gravity of having such brain matter in the car, fresh from being part of someone's cognitive and emotional self moments ago, is poignant. "I am constantly aware of how precious this gift is, usually offered on the patient's worst day," Dr. Durrant shares. Her lab is among the few utilizing living adult brain tissue to decode dementia.
Inquiring whether Alzheimer's can be cured, the challenge posed by Sir James Dyson—guest editor for BBC Radio 4's Today programme—remains at the heart of this endeavor to comprehend the condition's complex biology.
Back in the lab, we witness Durrant's team methodically manipulating the brain tissue samples. They work seamlessly like a Formula 1 pit team, fitting as the research is backed by the Race Against Dementia charity, initiated by racing legend Jackie Stewart. Carefully, the brain sample is embedded in agar jelly and sliced into tissues 10-20 cells wide, later preserved in incubators. The team then studies the samples, investigating the loss of synaptic connections pivotal to Alzheimer's progression.