Scientists have offered hope of a radical new drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Laboratory studies, reported in the USA, suggest the new compound has been effective in treating mice with the condition.
Researchers at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders, Bethesda, Maryland, are now anxious to begin trials on human patients.
The laboratory study found no evidence of toxic side-effects in the animals from treatment with the chemical, known as TFP5.
The researchers said it seemed to restore loss of memory and reduce symptoms, reporting in the FASEB Journal.
The chemical has been derived from a brain enzyme called Cdk5, which is involved in the formation of the brain plaques and tangles thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Researcher Dr Harish Pant said: "We hope that clinical trial studies in Alzheimer’s disease patients should yield an extended and a better quality of life as observed in mice upon TFP5 treatment."
Journal editor Dr Gerald Weissmann said:"The next step is to find out if this molecule can have the same effects in people, and if not, to find out which molecule will.
"Now that we know that we can target the basic molecular defects in Alzheimer’s disease, we can hope for treatments far better – and more specific – than anything we have today."
A truncated peptide from p35, a Cdk5 activator, prevents Alzheimer’s disease phenotypes in model mice. FASEB J January 2013 27:174-186; doi:10.1096/fj.12-217497 [abstract]
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