American researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have published a report on the results of the first phase in a series of clinical trials testing a groundbreaking new gene therapy for people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. The treatment involved taking skin cells from eight patients diagnosed with the neurodegenerative ailment in its early stages and modifying the tissue so that it produced nerve growth factor (NGF), a naturally occurring protein that prevents cell death and stimulates cell function. These genetically modified cells were then implanted within the brains of the eight patients taking part in the study. An average of twenty-two months after cell implantation, cognitive decline among six of the patients was reduced by as much as 51 percent, a result suggesting much greater effectiveness than any medication currently being used to treat the disease.According to the National Institute of Aging, 4.5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, at a cost to the country’s economy of nearly $100 billion annually.