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A medical report with the words "Alzheimer's disease" written at the top.(Photo: Getty Images)

According to researchers at the Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas, an experimental vaccine that may contain Alzheimer's disease gives test results on animals.

Tests on mice have shown that the vaccine safely prevents accumulation of substances in the brain associated with the deadly disease, the team said. reported this week in the journal Alzheimer's Research & Therapy.

Following previous research in monkeys and rabbits, researchers have now hopefully the vaccine will pass to the tests on the man.

If the vaccine proves safe and effective in humans, it could halve the number of diagnoses of dementia, said the study's lead author at USA TODAY.

Dementia is a term used to describe in a general way the symptoms of cognitive decline. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

Dr. Doris Lambracht-Washington, a professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics at Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas, said studies have shown that the vaccine could prolong lives by preventing the disease from developing.

"If the onset of the disease could be delayed even five years, it would be huge for patients and their families," Lambracht-Washington said in a statement. "The number of dementia cases could fall by half."

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Lambracht-Washington said the study marked major progress toward a safe and effective vaccine.

Researchers have previously studied the possibility of a vaccine for Alzheimer's disease, she said, but earlier approaches have either caused harmful side effects, such as an inflammation of the brain , or use less efficient approaches.

The vaccine works by inducing the body to produce antibodies that inhibit the accumulation of amyloid and tau, two proteins that are characteristic of degenerative brain disease.

The vaccine is one of many promising treatments aimed at reducing the accumulation of these substances before they become deadly plaques and tangles in the brain.

About 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, according to the University of Texas. The number could double by 2050.

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