NEW WONDER JAB WILL PREVENT DEMENTIA

MILLIONS of people could be spared the agony of Alzheimer's thanks to the development of a "game-changing" vaccine.

- Lucy Johnston

The revolutionary jab, which removes toxic proteins from the brain before they cause damage leading to the most common form of dementia, is undergoing trials on patients in the disease's early stages.

Once through clinical trials, it could be widely available within five years, preventing future generations from the misery of being struck down by Alzheimer's or seeing loved ones slowly get worse.

Last night scientists hailed the find as a "massive breakthrough".

There is currently no cure for dementia, which afflicts about 900,000 people in the UK predicted to rise to 1.6 million by - 2040. It can lead to a gradual decline in memory, thinking and ability to function.

A former senior police officer who developed Alzheimer's last year and is taking part in phase-two trials says his life has been "transformed" after three jabs.

And West End star Ruthie Henshall, 57, whose late mother Gloria had dementia, says the jab could be a "miracle" for sufferers. The mother of two said: “A drug would be a miracle because there are enormous numbers of people with dementia and it’s on the rise because we’re living longer.

“This drug could be the hope people have been dreaming of – up there with finding the cure for cancer.”