Scientists at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are reporting success in advancing an experimental, preclinical vaccine that can prevent or slow Alzheimer's. The researchers, led by Dr. Jordan Tang, immunized mice engineered with Alzheimer's with the memapsin 2 protein, which plays a role in the development of plaque believed to be central to the memory-wasting disease. Human trials of the vaccine could be just a few years away, though scientists say that any successful vaccine approach would likely be used in combination with other therapies. Other companies, most notably Elan, have attempted to advance vaccines, but failed.
"What we saw is that the mice immunized with memapsin 2 developed 35 percent fewer plaques than their non-vaccinated counterparts," said Tang. "Those immunized mice also performed better than control mice in tests designed to assess their cognitive function."
- here's the release for more information
- read this report on the project
ALSO: Children with a gene known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease already show signs of reduced cognitive function, a study has found. Release
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