Possible dementia vaccine in the offing
Scientists have
successfully tested a preventive vaccine for dementia in animals, paving
the way for clinical trials of the experimental treatment.
The research aims to
come up with a new treatment to remove accumulated beta-amyloid (Aß)
plaques composed of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, which lead to
neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of age-related dementia,
the researchers said. Major challenges in AD include the lack of
effective treatments, reliable biomarkers, or preventive strategies. The
possible new therapies were tested in mice with mix Aß and tau
pathologies. "Taken together, these findings warrant further development
of this dual vaccination strategy based on the MultiTEP technology for
ultimate testing in human Alzheimer's disease," researchers said. They
said the new method involves a system to take the combination
MultiTEP-based Aß/tau vaccines therapy, as well as separate vaccines
targeting these pathological molecules, to clinical trials -- possibly
within two years.