Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the world, and the number of individuals living and caring for people suffering from the disease is expected to rise sharply as elderly populations rise throughout the world. Alzheimer's disease presents both medical and social challenges that are expected to increase exponentially, and the treatments for the disease will most likely not improve until the manner in which drugs are developed is changed. Currently, there has been minimal advancement in our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases in the last 3 decades, and this can be directly attributed to our lack of scientific understanding, which will continue impede the medical preventions and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. This scientific barrier will most likely result in health care crisis on a level that has not been experienced before, which will be compounded by the subsequent social and financial problems as a result of it.