March 23, 2005
Cell phones and Alzheimer's
A study published by researchers at Lund University in Sweden a couple of years ago theorized that cell phones might bring on Alzheimer's in rats, raising concerns that it could trigger the early onset of Alzheimer's disease in humans as well.
And now, Chad Purnell, a High School graduate and a biology major doing research work on cell phone radiation, found no special effects felt by cell phone users. Except one, which might ward off Alzheimer's, according to Pittsburgh's post-gazette.
"Cell phone radiation activated a protection protein called heat shock protein 27," he said. "I realized that activation of this protein might help the body protect itself against Alzheimer's and other neural degenerative diseases."
Backed by a Saint Vincent research grant, Purnell took neural cells and artificially induced an Alzheimer's-like state using an active protein from the disease. He exposed some to cell phone radiation and then determined if the radiation stopped the cells from dying.
No one can say if Purnell's experiment will lead to a medical miracle, but the student concedes it opens up another avenue of research for controlling the disease affecting many older people."
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