Potent Vaccine Could Beat Alzheimer's...

Potent Vaccine Could Beat Alzheimer's, But It Must Be Given Even Before There Are Any Symptoms, Say Scientists

The secret to beating Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, could be as simple as a potent vaccine, scientists have discovered.

But the injection would need to be given at the earliest stages of the disease, before any of the symptoms of Alzheimer's are evident.

By preventing the disease from taking hold in the first place, researchers hope to pave the way to completely eradication.

However U.S. scientists still need to develop the vaccine, and to fine tune early detection of the disease.


Alzheimer's is a progressive, physical disease which affects the brain by destroying links between the cells.

Initial signs include forgetfulness, but it can lead to sufferers undergoing a complete personality change and being unable to talk or walk.

Researchers at Georgetown University, in Washington DC, found that an antibody for Alzheimer’s disease is more likely to trigger inflammation in the brain the later it is given.

The study adds to evidence that early intervention with any new antibody treatment is therefore likely to be important.

Researchers tested an antibody called PFA1 on mice that had been bred with Alzheimer’s symptoms.

The antibody was designed to clear amyloid, a protein that builds in the brains of people with the  disease.

Although PFA1 reduced the amount of amyloid in the brain, mice that had more amyloid in their brains at the start of the study were more likely to show signs of inflammation after treatment.

Those with lower levels of amyloid - imitating humans in the early stages of the disease - did not experience the same level of swelling and showed a significant benefit from the vaccine.

The scientists presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

The research is significant both because it suggests that those in the early stages of the disease - with lower levels of amyloid - will benefit most from the vaccine.

It also give clues as to why inflammation happens.

The study’s lead investigator, Dr R Scott Turner, said that patients often show no symptoms of inflammation.

Dr Turner said: 'Excessive inflammation is counter-productive because it will limit the benefits of the vaccine treatment, and in a few cases, will cause new problems.'

He added: 'We may find that in the future, we will have to tailor immunisation therapies based on amyloid burden in individual patients.'

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: 'This study adds to increasing evidence suggesting that an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease will need to be given early to have a positive effect.

'The value of a vaccine is dependent on the ability to identify people who are in the very early stages of the condition'

'Although this particular drug was not designed for use in people, we would need to see large-scale clinical trials before we can know whether any new drugs could benefit people with Alzheimer’s, and we’ll need to test them early.

'We are still hamstrung by a lack of accurate early detection for Alzheimer’s, a major obstruction to trialling new treatments effectively.

'Research into diagnosis is crucial if potential new treatments are to have the best chance of success.

'We already know that inflammation may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and it will be important to follow this up.

'If we can understand what happens in the brain as Alzheimer’s progresses, we stand a better chance of being able to intervene.'

Dr Anne Corbett, of the Alzheimer’s Society, also welcomed the research, but warned that early detection of the disease was still very difficult.

She said: 'Finding a vaccine would be an exciting and life changing matter for people living with Alzheimer’s.

'However the value of a vaccine is dependent on the ability to identify people who are in the very early stages of the condition which alone is a challenge.

'This is very early research and we don’t yet know if this vaccine could actually improve symptoms in humans.'

WHAT IS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE?

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, which is a group of symptoms associated with a decline in mental abilities, such as memory and reasoning.

The disease attacks nerves, brain cells and neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry messages to and from the brain).

Early symptoms include:

    minor memory problems
    difficulty saying the right words

These symptoms change as Alzheimer’s, which is progressive, develops, and it may lead to:

    confusion
    personality changes
    a total change in behaviour

Alzheimer's disease is most common in people over 65 years of age, and affects slightly more women than men.

The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that, in people over 65 years of age, 1 in 14 is affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

The risk increases with age, and people who are over 80 years of age are thought to have a one in six chance of developing the condition.

 

 

Lauren Paxman - WebMD