New vaccine could protect against Alzheimer's disease – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A vaccine that could protect against Alzheimer's disease could be the subject of clinical trials.

"I really wanted to take this as a challenge to see if we could develop any treatment," says Kiran Bhaskar, associate professor at the University of New Mexico.

The vaccine targets a specific protein that is commonly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

"What we chose to pursue was a specific region of tau protein, as you have seen before, the pathological tau – the red structures – that are common in Alzheimer's disease. We wanted to make a vaccine against that, "says Nicole Maphis, a PhD student. student at the University of New Mexico.

Antibodies are formed against tau protein, and in studies conducted by the University of New Mexico on mice with Alzheimer's disease, researchers say that the protein is eliminated. Because the brain has protective mechanisms to prevent circulating proteins, such as antibodies, from entering cells, the challenge is daunting.

"These antibodies seem to have eliminated the pathological tau protein," says Maphis.

For labyrinthine tests, immunized mice performed better than those that were not.

But before they can be tested on humans, researchers need a few years and a few billion dollars to develop a clinical grade injection.

"We need to make sure we have a clinical version of the vaccine so that we can test people," says Bhaskar.