LONDON — A new vaccine, currently testing on mice, found to
clear harmful amyloid plaque from the brain, and prevented the behavioral
changes that normally plague Alzheimer's sufferers.
اضافة اعلان
The vaccine is being developed by researchers in Japan,
including Juntendo University, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.
The Japanese team's findings are still in their early phases
and human trials could take years. But the research has received the backing of
the influential American Heart Association.
Vaccine specifics
Unlike previous drugs that promised treatment, which could
only prolong the patients’ healthy life by a number of months, this vaccine
could go even further in its ability to stop the disease from progressing
before it reaches a point of no return, researchers say.
Dr Chieh-Lun Hsiao, a cardiovascular researcher at Juntendo,
said: 'If the vaccine could be successful in humans, it would be a big step
towards delaying disease progression or even prevention of this disease.'
The new study - which is still ongoing - involves testing
the vaccine in mice who had mutated versions of an amyloid precursor protein
inserted into their genes.
Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer's and are
believed to speed up the death of brain cells. There is still some debate about
whether they cause the disease or are a symptom of it.
The vaccine effectively reduced SAGP and amyloid deposits in
mouse brains in the region responsible for language processes, attention, and
problem solving.
It showed other positive effects that suggest it could work
in humans. When placed in a maze-type device to test the vaccine's impact on
behavior, the mice who received the SAGP vaccine tended to behave like normal
healthy mice and exhibited more awareness of their surroundings.
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