RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Julia Hall
Independent Research I GT
2017-2018

Title​: Always Remember Those Who Cannot: A Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

Introduction and Overview of Research:

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that causes the cerebral cortex and
hippocampus to shrink and plaque to develop in the brain. Often confused with the changes
associated with aging, Alzheimer’s disease is much more than just memory loss because it
causes cognitive impairment and patients start to forget who they are as a person. There is
currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there have been major discoveries in the field as
scientists attempt to discover a viable treatment protocol for Alzheimer’s disease. Scientist have
found great success by using methods of protein manipulation, vaccinations, and natural products
to treat Alzheimer’s disease. If this research could help scientists get one step closer to
discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and help millions of suffering people, then that will
be the true victory.
Background
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disorder where plaque buildup in the brain causes
the cerebral cortex and hippocampus to shrivel and become damaged (Cohen). Over time,
patients will experience memory loss and cognitive impairment as the disease progresses. The
disease could start with something as simple as forgetting where the patient left their keys, to
what happened the night before, to not knowing what day or year it is, to forgetting the names
of their children, and finally forgetting who they are.
Alzheimer’s affects 40 million people nationwide, and there are 5.7 million people
currently living with Alzheimer’s (Cohen). There has been significant progress in medicine
with vaccines and treating cancer, but almost no progress with treating Alzheimer’s because
scientists do not fully understand the pathology of the disease. Out of the leading causes of
death in the world Alzheimer’s is the only one that does not have a cure or a method to slow its
progression. There is a lack of Alzheimer’s awareness in the world, and it is a disease that can
be cured. Therefore, the researcher encourages everyone to learn more about Alzheimer’s
disease, so that one day a cure can be found.
Rationale
Alzheimer's is a cruel disease that takes away a patient’s memories and basic cognitive
functions until they are no longer themselves. Therefore, this research is important because for
decades people have been suffering from this disease without hope of a cure. There is a chance
that due to different environmental factors the clinical treatments will not help everyone, but if
one person could be cured of Alzheimer’s disease then that would be a victory in itself because
that patient would have gotten another chance to live their life.
Research Methodology:
Research Question​:
 Could using mixed methods of manipulating the expression of certain proteins, using
vaccinations, and natural methods be an effective treatment method for Alzheimer’s disease?
Research Thesis​:
If scientists combine alternative methods of manipulating protein expression, vitamins,
and vaccinations then they could be one step closer to finding an effective treatment protocol for
Alzheimer’s disease.
The researcher might explain that there has been some success with using each of the
three treatments individually, but there has been promising new research by combining these
three methods. Therefore, the research believes that the most effective treatment protocol for
Alzheimer’s disease would be to combine protein manipulation, vaccinations, and natural
methods to slow the progression of the disease.
Research Design Model​:
This data will be quantitative because the researcher plans to look at levels of A(beta) in
neurons as well as protein expression and the types of vaccinations used. This will be correlation
research because the researcher wants to see the degree of correlation between the expression of.
​Data Collection:
MA was the most appropriate tool for the data collection because they were conducting
scientific research and were not able to perform an authentic experiment. The researcher is
interested in studying the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, and wanted to further investigate
possible treatment protocols for the disease. The researcher could not conduct an experiment or
observational study because they did not have access to mice or Alzheimer's patients. In
addition, since most Alzheimer's treatments are still in their developmental stages analyzing
academic journals seemed to be a more effective method to study the pathology of the disease.
The first academic journal that was analyzed by the researcher became the cornerstone of their
research because they were intrigued by how the scientists used selective reduction to prevent
learning deficits in mice. Therefore, the researcher looked for three sources with experiments
that tested different vaccines and methods of manipulating protein expression in the
hippocampus of mice to prevent plaque formation in the brain. The researcher found that the
most effective treatment seemed to be combining the three methods of protein manipulation,
vaccination, and natural methods in attempts to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The hope is that by
finding an effective treatment protocol for Alzheimer’s disease that the progression of the
disease could be slowed or maybe even stopped to give patients their quality of life and
memories back.
The researcher plans to compare the data gathered from the academic journals to the
opinions of expert researchers and doctors in the field of neuroscience. Then, the researcher will
draw a new conclusion from the data and resources collected to contribute a new theory and idea
about Alzheimer’s treatment.
Product Objectives:
For a final product, the researcher plans to develop a website that describes their
hypothesis for an effective treatment protocol for Alzheimer’s disease. The website will outline
how the researcher proposes combining methods of protein manipulation, vaccinations, and
natural products to treat Alzheimer's disease. The website will then be published online under the
advisement of Dr. Cohen where other professionals in the field can view it and analyze the
results of the study.
 The doctors and researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are probably the
most realistic audience because they have extensive knowledge in neuroscience so they could
provide the best feedback about the researcher’s product about Alzheimer’s disease. The
potential audience will be both male and female researchers at Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine in Maryland. The purpose of this product is to inform other scientists and doctors of a
new idea in developing an effective treatment protocol for Alzheimer’s disease in hopes of
discovering a cure for the disease.
Logistical Considerations:
The researcher will need to create a website that will accurately display their data before
it is sent out for professionals to view. The researcher will need to consult their advisor about the
best way to distribute their research.
A timeline will be added that outlines the data collection, product development, and
audience distribution.
Approval:

_______Julia Hall_______________ ___________________________

Student Signature Mentor/Advisor Signature

__________________________
G/T Resource Teacher Signature

References
Cohen, Samuel. "Alzheimer’s Is Not Normal Aging and We Can Cure It." TED Talk, 16 Oct.
2015. Lecture.