Engineers at Chang gung University, in Taiwan, have designed a device that sends tiny beams of ultrasound into the brain, allowing drugs to get through something called the “blood-brain barrier.”

The blood brain barrier is a protective device created by our bodies. Currently most drugs available for Alzheimer’s therapy have large molecules that cannot pass through the blood brain barrier. This new ultrasound device opens the barrier enough to allow these important drugs to pass through. This may be a way to fight Alzheimer’s Disease and some other central nervous system diseases.

Professor Hao-Li Liu and his team have developed a circuit design that delivers two frequencies at once. This is a new idea and quite different from ultrasound machines that we have now. Current devices deliver only one frequency. Two allows modulation and that is key to the progress this team of researchers has made.

Though there is more work to be done with neurologists and clinical trials, this looks very promising.

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Watch this presentation featuring Phil Iredale, Head of Neurodegeneration Biology at Pfiser. Dr. Iredale addresses many of the basic questions that are key to understanding this challenging disease.

Researchers in the U.S. and around the globe are searching for ways to prevent and cure Alzheimer’s Disease. Many believe that understanding the cause of Alzheimer’s will provide valuable clues to prevention and treatment.

Some research directions have resulted in dead ends. Others have introduced more questions than answers. Overall, there is slow steady progression in the research communities.