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There is still no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) are on the verge of finding one.
Alzheimer's disease, a progressive memory disorder, affects about one in three seniors in the world, or 43 million people. The researchers believe that the disease is caused by a slow destruction of brain cells linked to a protein called tau. More specifically, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), collections of saturated tau proteins, constitute a primary marker of Alzheimer's disease. In a new research paper published in NPJ Vaccines, researchers announced that they have developed a vaccine that uses virus-like particles to eliminate tau tangles in mice raised to develop symptoms similar to those of patients with HIV. Alzheimer's disease.
"We are excited about these findings because they seem to suggest that we can use the body's immune system to make antibodies against these diseases. [tau] entanglement … these antibodies bind and remove these tau tangles, "said Nicole Maphis, Ph.D. candidate at the UNM's Postgraduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, in a press release.
When the vaccine was administered to mice, they developed antibodies to remove tau protein from their brain. Anti-tau antibodies lasted for months in the brains of mice. Tested mice also performed better than labyrinths, shrank less in the brain on MRI, and had less entanglement in the cortex and hippocampus, areas of the brain destroyed by Alzheimer's disease.
"These results confirm that targeting tau tangles with the help of a vaccine intervention could save memory disorders and prevent neuron death," said Maphis.
Although this has been successfully tested on mice, researchers are seeking funding to market the vaccine for testing and testing in human patients as well.
Other recent pharmaceutical research has suggested that the treatment of Alzheimer's disease may not be so far.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post released a report claiming that Pfizer researchers had discovered that its drug, Enbrel, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 64%. According to the report, Pfizer chose not to delve deeper into these results or to publicize the research, which included an analysis of hundreds of thousands of insurance claims.
"Enbrel could potentially prevent, treat and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease safely," says a document obtained by the Washington Post.
Pfizer stated that it did not make this information public because the drug did not directly affect brain tissue.
"Any promising science for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and that is not truly sought after, nor shared with the world of research, harms the millions of people facing the disease today." And in the future, "Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., scientific leader of the Alzheimer's Association, said about the report. "Alzheimer's disease is a personally devastating and deadly disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, with the number of people affected by the disease increasing every day."
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