Studies by Richard Wurtman have led to development of nutrient mix shown to slow cognitive impairment in early stages of the disease.

In the mid-2000s, Wurtman developed a nutrient cocktail aimed at treating what he considers “the root cause” of Alzheimer’s: loss of brain synapses. The mixture increases production of new synapses and restores connectivity between brain regions, improving memory and other cognitive functions. A French company then combined this research with a multinutrient it was developing along with the LipiDiDiet consortium—a European collaboration of 16 universities and research centers—to create a drink, called Souvenaid, for Alzheimer’s patients.

Over the years, Souvenaid has been the focus on several clinical trials to validate its efficacy. The mixture is not yet available in the United States, but it is being sold as a “medical food”—a category of regulated and safe foods that are designed for dietary management of diseases—in a number of countries across the globe.

In the new clinical trial, published in The Lancet Neurology journal, patients with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease were given either Souvenaid or a placebo. Compared to people who drank the placebo, patients who drank Souvenaid throughout the trial showed less worsening in everyday cognitive and functional performance and significantly less atrophy of the hippocampus, which is caused early in Alzheimer’s by brain tissue loss.

“It feels like science-fiction, where you can take a drink of Souvenaid and you get more synapses for improved cognitive function,” Wurtman said. “But it works.”

The co-authors of the study are from the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, the University of Masstricht, the VU University Medical Centre, Pentara Corporation, the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and Saarland University and the LipiDiDiet study group.

Other results of the study were mixed. The researchers say larger studies, involving more patients over a longer period of time, are still needed to determine if Souvenaid can actually slow progression of Alzheimer’s.

In the mid-2000s, Wurtman’s research led him to seek the mechanisms behind the body’s production of phosphatides, a class of lipids that, along with proteins, form biological membranes. Production of these phosphatides, Wurtman discovered, depends on a set of nutrient precursors. Specifically, Wurtman homed in on three naturally occurring dietary compounds: choline, uridine, and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. Choline is found in meats, nuts, and eggs. Fish, flaxseeds, and certain meats contain omega-3 fatty acids. Uridine is mostly produced in the liver.

All those compounds taken simultaneously boost production of phosphatides, encouraging membrane development, which is critical in creating new synapses. Knowing that Alzheimer’s-affected brains continuously lose synapses, Wurtman patented the work through MIT’s Technology Licensing Office in hopes of using some version of the cocktail to treat Alzheimer’s and any disease that leads to loss of synapses.

Then, in 2003, Wurtman presented the work at a meeting in Europe. Attending the event was a representative from Nutricia—a unit of Danone, a French company known as Dannon in the United States—which was experienced in making medical foods. Wurtman was invited to the company’s headquarters, where a deal was hashed out to combine Wurtman’s findings with a multinutrient the company was working on to create a new treatment for Alzheimer’s.

By 2008, Danone had licensed the patent and Souvenaid was already a product. But Wurtman and several graduate students continued basic research behind Souvenaid, which gave the product a boost. “We were much more able to do the basic research at MIT,” Wurtman said. “As soon as we found something in the research, we’d patent it. We never had the l