Anchor: With one out of ten South Korean seniors aged 65 and older suffering from dementia, Korean researchers have now discovered a protein substance from tobacco leaves that can cure the disease. Already securing a domestic patent and signing an agreement with a pharmaceutical firm, the research team plans to create a new drug for dementia within five years.
Our Kim Soyon has more.
 
Report: In a global first, Korean researchers have discovered a substance that can cure dementia. 
 
A team at Gyeongsang National University signed an agreement on Tuesday to transfer its technology to a Korean pharmaceutical company that specializes in dementia medicine.
 
Professor Kim Myeong-ok explained that her team has extracted a protein substance from tobacco leaves.
 
[Sound bite: Prof. Kim Myeong-ok - Dept. of Neurobiology, Gyeongsang National University]
"Through various experiments we have confirmed that the substance is similar to the human cell structure and has no toxins. We have also confirmed that it has no side effects."
 
She explained that dementia is caused by the formation of amyloid plaque, which severs the connection between nerve cells. She said the tobacco substance helps to remove the plaque and restore the severed neural links.
 
Tested on lab mice, the protein improved their dementia symptoms by over 80 percent. In the experiments, the treated mice spent less than half the time it usually took them to find a target destination in an underwater labyrinth.
 
The natural protein extracted from tobacco leaves is the world's first cure for dementia, as there have only been medications to reduce symptoms of the disease.
 
The team has already registered a domestic patent and has filed applications for more patents in the U.S. and in Europe.
 
Having signed a technology transfer agreement with a pharmaceutical firm, the team expects to conduct clinical testing and commercialize a dementia drug within five years.
Kim Soyon, KBS World Radio News.