A DNA Vaccine Reduces Both Amyloid- β and Tau Aggregates in Mice

This study is the culmination of a decade of research that has repeatedly demonstrated that this vaccine can effectively and safely target in animal models what we think may cause Alzheimer's disease. I believe we're getting close to testing this therapy in people." Although earlier research established that antibodies significantly reduce amyloid buildup in the brain, researchers needed to find a safe way to introduce them into the body. A vaccine developed elsewhere showed promise in the early 2000s, but when tested in humans, it caused brain swelling in some patients. The new idea was to start with DNA coding for amyloid and inject it into the skin rather than the muscle to produce a different kind of immune response. The injected skin cells make a three-molecule chain of beta-amyloid (Aβ42), and the body responds by producing antibodies that inhibit the buildup of amyloid and indirectly also of tau. The latest study - consisting of four cohorts of between 15 and 24 mice each - shows the vaccine prompted a 40 percent reduction in beta-amyloid and up to a 50 percent reduction in tau, with no adverse immune response. If amyloid and tau are indeed the cause of Alzheimer's disease, achieving these reductions in humans could have major therapeutic value. The study is the latest contribution to decades of research focusing on clearing toxic proteins in hopes of preventing or slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Link: https://www.utsouthwestern....
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs