Mr. Speaker, Alzheimer's is a neurological disorder that gradually leaves the brain unable to reason, to remember, to imagine or to learn.
It affects one Canadian in thirteen over the age of 65. However, a recent world breakthrough made possible through funding from Canada's health research institutes, the primary federal health research body in Canada, is renewing hope in the fight to vanquish this disease.
Recently, Dr. Peter St. George-Hyslop and his team at the University of Toronto Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases discovered a vaccine which may help to prevent and treat memory loss and the disabling cognitive impairment of Alzheimer's disease.
If the results of their laboratory studies can be verified in human subjects, the vaccine could play a vital role in eradicating the disabling dementia associated with this disease.
The next stage will consist of preliminary studies to verify the safety of the vaccine before large scale testing to determine its therapeutic effectiveness is begun.
The researchers believe that clinical testing on human subjects could begin this year and, if it is conclusive, that a drug could be available within four years.
By investing in research today, Canadians will reap the benefits in the future.