New Drug Stops Alzheimer’s Disease from Progressing in Animal Study
by andreas on Sep.30, 2008, under brain research
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer
German scientists have developed a compound that delayed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in mice. The breakthrough could lead to a causal treatment of the disease, while traditional treatments for Alzheimer’s have focused on addressing the disease’s symptoms.
Using mice as test subjects, the researchers were able to prevent the development of the amyloid plaque that has been implicated with the development of Alzheimer’s. This was made possible by blocking the activity of the glutaminyl cyclase (QC) enzyme. Afterwards, the mental capabilities of the mice improved to the point that it was comparable to mice that were free of the disease. According to the researchers at Universität Göttingen in Germany, this form of therapy is completely new. According to Alzheimer researcher Thomas Bayer, if one could reduce the activity of the QC enzyme by 30 to 40 percent, the onset of the worst symptoms of the disease could be delayed five to ten years, greatly improving the patient’s quality of life. The scientists caution that more studies must be performed to determine the efficacy of the treatment in humans.
