New vaccines may cure Alzheimer’s disease
Published: June 15, 2006
A potential DNA vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease has shown promise, according to Japanese researchers.
The study, reported in Tuesday’s online edition of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the U. S.,” found that the vaccine reduced brain deposits in the mice between 15.5 percent and 38.5 percent.
The research was carried out by Yoshio Okura and colleagues at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience.
The new vaccine targets genes responsible for the overproduction of amyloid-beta peptides, small proteins that form plaques in the brain. Many researchers believe the accumulation of these plaques is the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
In the current study no such effects were observed in mice. This vaccine was developed by altering the DNA that holds the key for the development of beta-amyloid.
New trials are being conducted on monkeys. If those are successful, researchers hope to begin testing on humans within the next three years.
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