Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyOn the third floor of the Arizona State University Psychology building a team of young researchers smile quite a bit following a medical discovery.
"We were first to make this discovery," said Dr. Heather Bimonte-Nelson, an Assistant Professor of Psychology.
Bimonte-Nelson is the lead author of the study, which found that hydroxyfasudil, an active ingredient in the drug Fasudil could improve the working memory and enhance the ability to remember more items of information.
Fasudil, according to Bimonte-Nelson, has been on the market for several years and used to treat stroke patients.
"I was quite shocked when we made the find," said Bimonte-Nelson.
The researchers at Arizona State University have been working with TGen on the testing which has taken place at Bimonte-Nelson's lab using rats.
The find could help Alzheimer's patients.
"That is our hope, that we can translate this to not just helping normal age-related changes, but also memory changes that are associated with Alzheimer's disease," said Bimonte-Nelson.
So far, Bimonte-Nelson says they've seen positive results when the drug was used on rats.
One aspect of the testing involves treating the rats with the drug and placing them in a complex maze.
"And we've seen fewer errors with the treated rats than the group that received the control solution," said Bimonte-Nelson.
TGen and Arizona State University researchers are now exploring clinical trials.
Since the main drug has already received FDA approval, the team smiles quite a bit thinking about the possibilities of the future use of the drug.
Bimonte-Nelson says with the discovery, their research has received full funding for four years.
