Researchers yesterday announced two steps towards improved care of Alzheimer’s disease.
In Zurich, Switzerland, scientists said they had developed an antibody which could trigger a "meaningful" reduction in the harmful plaques found in early stage disease.
The antibody, aducanumab, has already been tested in phase 1b trials and seemed to lead to near complete clearance of amyloid plaques.
The work was published in Nature last night. Some 165 patients took part in the study.
The researchers say the treatment also seemed to stabilise cognitive decline – while patients receiving a placebo treatment suffered significant loss of mental faculties.
The antibody is of human origin and scientists found it had a specific ability to bond with beta-amyloid proteins.
Professor Roger Nitsch, of the University of Zurich, said: “The results of this clinical study make us optimistic that we can potentially make a great step forward in treating Alzheimer’s disease.
“The effect of the antibody is very impressive. And the outcome is dependent on the dosage and length of treatment.”
* Meanwhile researchers at Cardiff University, UK, announced progress in developing a simple blood test to predict the onset of disease.
They say they have found a set of biomarkers after analysing blood from 292 people with early signs of memory impairment. They were able to link the biomarkers to those patients who went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Researcher Professor Paul Morgan said: “Our research proves that it is possible to predict whether or not an individual with mild memory problems is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the next few years.
"We hope to build on this in order to develop a simple blood test that can predict the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease in older people with mild, and possibly innocent, memory impairment.”
The antibody aducanumab reduces Aß plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Nature 1 September 2016; doi:10.1038/nature19323
Biomarkers as Predictors of Disease Progression in Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease September 2016; doi:10.3233/JAD-160420 [abstract]
Leave a Reply