TTUHSC researcher part of study on cancer drug's potential positive effects on Alzheimer's disease

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Boris Decourt with TTUHSC spends countless hours in a lab working in a field he's spent more than 15 years in. Decourt has taken part in Alzheimer's research since 2009. The Alzheimer's Association defines the disease as a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. 'This is due to the abnormal accumulation of the proteins in the brain,' Decourt said. 'These are called the plaques, you may have heard about amyloid-beta plaques, and there's another protein called tao tangles.' For decades, researchers from all over the world have attempted to figure out a solution. After meeting with colleagues from Arizona in 2009, Decourt and his team thought instead of removing one of these proteins, another angle should be taken. 'If amyloid and tau stimulates inflammation, inflammation stimulated to proteins, why don't we target inflammation instead of one single protein?' Decourt said. 'We should at least be able to slow down very dramatically the progression of the disease or eventually even stop the progression of the disease.' That began a long process that's ever-evolving with every day passed. After plenty of research with certain drugs, Lenalidomide, a medication used to treat types of blood and bone marrow cancers, was chosen for testing. The Phase I trial saw some patients take Lenalidomide, while others were given a placebo for comparison. 'We showed that this drug was able to slow down brain shrinkage in these few Alzheimer's patients we tested,' Decourt said. This showed the proof of concept in the drug. Phase II began in July 2025 and looked to have more patients involved to help researchers understand how the body responds to the drug and to optimize drug doses in future studies. These kinds of discoveries don't happen overnight though. 'It takes a long time,' Decourt said. 'It's almost a full career for scientists, but we're trying to go as fast as we can.' Decourt says it probably will take five years to demonstrate if there is a larger benefit. After that, we would head into a phase III level study, which would take another five and six years. Despite that, the team surrounding Decourt are excited about the progress they've already made. 'Seeing the effect on the brain, that we were able to slow down shrinkage back to normal aging, we were really thrilled with those results,' Decourt said. 'The entire team was there and they were like really, is that true?' Decourt wants to let everyone know that there is hope for this to see the finish line, and can't wait for what his team discovers next.