Dr. Beka Solomon, professor at the Tel Aviv University, wondered if Alzheimer’s disease could be treated through the nasal passage. Her logic was simple. One of the early Alzheimer’s disease signs is a loss of smell, because Alzheimer’s plaques first appear in the olfactory bulb.

She also realized that a harmless bacterial virus, known as “filamentous phage”, dissolves plagues that are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Solomon thought the only logical step would be to administer the harmless bacteria through the nasal passage where the phage could lock onto the Alzheimer’s plaque and dissolve it. The phage would also help in preventing new plaque from forming.

For the next year Solomon tested her theory on mice. At the end of the year the “filamentous phage” reduced plaque by 80% over the non-treated mice with the plaque. The mice receiving the phage also demonstrated memory improvements as well as regaining their sense of smell.

What makes Solomon’s new approach so unique is that it reduces the plaque without any of the unwanted side-effects often seen in other therapies.