Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia internationally (Liu, 2013). Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which major changes in neurological pathways occur, such as chronic neuronal loss and neuroinflammation (Liu, 2013). Due to the nature of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have limited knowledge of its pathology and etiology, as a result, there is currently no effective cure or prevention (Liu, 2013). In recent decades, stem cell therapy has emerged as the most promising therapeutic option for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders (Liu, 2013). There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, as a result it remains a major health problem in society. It is estimated that approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia and this number is expected to double every 20 years (“Alzheimer and Dementia Causes, Risk Factors”, 2015). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The incredible advances made in medicine over the years have made it possible for people to live longer lives, the percentage of individuals aged 65 and over has increased significantly (Knickman, Snell, 2002). In countries like Canada, there are more people aged 65 and older than those aged 15 and under (“More Canadians are 65 and older than under 15,” 2015 ). The aging population makes the search for a cure an important issue, as Alzheimer's disease mainly affects people aged 60 years and older (Knickman, Snell, 2002). However, there has also been a dramatic increase in the number of diagnoses of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (Knickman & Snell, 2002). The aging population and the increase in the global population affected by Alzheimer's disease have imposed a large financial burden on each country (“Dementiastatistics”, 2017). Dementia is one of society's most costly conditions ("Causes of Alzheimer's and dementia, risk factors", 2015). The cost of health care and long-term care for people with Alzheimer's disease is estimated to have cost the United States $259 billion in 2017 ("Dementiastatistics," 2017). The cost of healthcare is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2050 (“Dementia Statistics,” 2017). Scientists do not know the cause of Alzheimer's disease, but predict that it develops as a result of multiple factors, rather than a single cause (Abdel-Salam, 2011). In a brain affected by Alzheimer's disease, the pathology is not fully understood (Abdel-Salam, 2011). However, there are characteristic features of neurodegenerative disorder, “neuronal death caused by plaques of extracellular amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau proteins” (Lee, Oh, Lim, 2016). As Alzheimer's disease progresses, neural loss causes extreme degradation of affected regions of the parietal, temporal, and frontal cortex (Tang,2012). However, the ventricles that contain cerebrospinal fluid in the brain enlarge and at this stage the individual's short-term memory begins to decline (Tang,2012). As the disease progresses, judgment declines, behavioral changes occur, emotional outbursts occur, and in the final stages, individuals lose control of their bodies and long-term memory is impaired (Tang,2012). Current advances in stem cell research offer promising results for new treatments for, 2013).