Alzheimer's drug hope

Tuesday November 27th, 2012

Researchers say they are ready to move to clinical studies for a proposed new treatment for Alzheimer's disease - as the drugs may already exist.

A joint study, involving Germany and Switzerland, has found components of the immune system that may contribute to the development of the disease.

It is part of the immune system that can already be suppressed by an existing drug, the researchers say - leading to hope of early trials on patients.

Tackling an immune system molecule called p40 reduced the accumulation of amyloid deposits by as much as 65% in laboratory studies involving mice, the researchers have reported.

p40 is found in interleukin-12 and -23 and a medication that suppresses it has already been developed to treat psoriasis.

Treatment of the protein also led to improvements in the behaviour of laboratory mice affected by disease, the researchers said.

The research, reported in Nature Medicine, was conducted at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, and the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Researchers Professor Frank Heppner, from Berlin, and Professor Burkhard Becher, from Zurich, said: "Based on the safety data in patients, clinical studies could now be implemented without delay.

"Now, the goal is to bring the new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer patients quickly."

Inhibition of IL-12/IL-23 signaling reduces Alzheimer's disease-like pathology and cognitive decline. Nature Medicine November 25, 2012; doi: 10.1038/nm.2965

Tags: Brain & Neurology | Elderly Health | Europe | Pharmaceuticals

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