Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of dementia. According to WHO it accounts for 60-70% of all cases of senile dementia.
Briefly explain that dementia is a syndrome in which gradual destruction of memory and thinking, behavioral change, and the loss of ability to perform routine everyday tasks.
About 50 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. And this is a big social problem, because the disease has a depressing effect not only on the patient, but also on members of his family who care for such a patient.
Recall that scientists have long established that the disease is associated with accumulation in the patient’s brain amyloid beta plaques and so-called neurofibrillary tanglesconsisting of hyperphosphorylated tau protein.
Their deposition leads to a violation of the normal structure of brain tissue and cognitive decline person.
And if the reasons for this serious progressive condition are specialists generally clear, then with his treatment, things are much worse.
Modern approaches to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease mainly aimed at reducing pathological deposits of amyloid or tau proteins. However, clinical trials of various agents, proposed in recent years, still have not shown their effectiveness in containing the disease in humans.
Recently, an Australian-American research group, which, incidentally, includes many former Russian scientists, has proposed its own approach to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
IN scientific work experts report that not only the deposition of two proteins, but their joint interaction lead to neurodegeneration.
According to experts working under the guidance of Professor Nikolai Petrovsky (Nikolai Petrovsky) from Flinders University in Australia, the simultaneous “attack” on tau and amyloid proteins will help to effectively restrain and even reverse the development of the disease.
In order to prove their theory, scientists have created a “vaccine against dementia.” Drug called Advax, is a combination of two compounds that simultaneously affect both pathological proteins.
At the preclinical animal test stage, the drug was administered intramuscularly to laboratory mice. Let us explain that the rodents used were a kind of animal model of the disease: after their genetic modification, “human” proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease began to be produced in their brain, the authors specify.
During the study, it turned out that the combination of two substances causes the production of a large number of specific antibodies.
Moreover, these antibodies actively “recognize” and attack amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of experimental animals. That is, the principle of operation of Advax is fully consistent with the mechanism of action of vaccines.
After four injections of 20 micrograms of the drug, the amount of amyloid and tau deposits in the brain of laboratory mice decreased significantly.
“The vaccine is effective in preventing memory impairment in animals with only developing protein deposits. In addition, we have also shown the effectiveness of the drug and to combat existing pathological plaques. [в головном мозге]”- notes Nikolai Petrovsky in Interview with ABC News.
The authors of the development are sure that the use of the combination vaccine Advax will become the key to Alzheimer’s disease therapy and in humans.
Experts plan to conduct clinical trials of their development in humans in the next two years, reports the publication New Atlas.
If the studies are successful, the “vaccine against dementia” promises to be one of the medical breakthroughs of the next decade, the authors of the development believe.
More detailed results of a new scientific study presented in open access in the specialized journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
Recall that earlier the authors of Vesti.Nauka (nauka.vesti.ru) talked about why Alzheimer’s “prefers” women and some ways prevent the development of this serious problem, as well as a controversial drug for this destructive disease, which is already Approved for use in China.
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