By Kevin Woo

Dr. Michael Devous believes that one day there will be a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

“I think we’re going to cure Alzheimer’s disease, and we’re not far away from it,” says Devous during an interview with the Dallas Morning News. Devous is a professor and director at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

“Ten years ago I didn’t think so, but we’ve made tremendous progress,” he says. “We haven’t done it. We haven’t cured anyone from this disease yet, but I’m hopeful that the trials we’ve started will change the course of this disease in a positive way. There’s a mild cognitive impairment which precedes dementia. We are having clinical trials to see if removing plaque will keep (patients) from getting worse and maybe even allow them to get better.”

Researchers say that maintaining a healthy lifestyle; getting genetically tested if you’re at high risk for the disease; and removal of amyloid plaque all hold the key to finding a cure.

The study of plaque is key to Devous’ on-going research.

What also makes the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center unique is that it pools research efforts from other Texas institutions such as the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium, UTSW in Dallas, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and it takes part in collaborative work with UTD Center for BrainHealth and Center for Vital Longevity and the Cooper Clinic in Dallas.