A new population providing the next potential breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Research.

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of dementia leading to loss of memory, thoughts, motor skills and other symptoms which affect day to day living. The treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease remains one of humanities great unsolved challenges. It is becoming even more critical as the global population ages due to other medical advancements. One such success is that of modern antiretroviral therapy. Now more than ever, many people with HIV in South Africa are living into older age. In a recent study of ours in the Eastern Cape, 5% of people over 70 were living with HIV. When extrapolated across the country, this represents tens of thousands of elderly people living with HIV. This is a massive achievement in the HIV field and provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of HIV on an older population.

The HMHRU congratulates Professor Sam Nightingale on his new research grant where he will be investigating the prevalence of clinical Alzheimer’s in an elderly population living with HIV in a low-resource setting in Cape Town. This research will be the first in the field! Prof Sam Nightingale feels privileged to be working alongside the global charity, Race Against Dementia (RAD), toward a world without Alzheimer’s. His attitude of challenging current scientific orthodoxy fits appropriately with RAD’s research ethos—high pace, urgency, and out-the-box innovation! 

Sir Jackie Stewart, the founder of RAD, wishes to integrate what he calls ‘Formula 1 Attitude’ into the world of research. By merging the high pace urgency of F1 racing with scientific expertise he hopes to achieve breakthrough results. And Fast. Prof Sam is pictured meeting Sir Jackie Stewart at the Autosport International in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Prof Sam says he is excited about the prospect of his research for two main reasons. Firstly, it is uniquely positioned to identify mechanisms of Alzheimer’s and inform new approaches to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s globally. Secondly, and closer to home, Prof Nightingale is passionate about cognitive health in low resource settings. This research could reveal how people with HIV in South Africa age in terms of brain health, cognition, and their associated risk of dementia. “This is the first time that people living with HIV are ageing, and we don’t know what the challenges will be.”  This research would therefore not only be key for the millions of people living with HIV around the world but the genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s differ considerably between African and European populations and as a result, being able to do this research in an African setting would be a significant step for our population.