Researchers working on inventing a vaccine for treating Alzheimer’s disease may be able to get results soon.
Researchers working on inventing a vaccine for treating Alzheimer’s disease may be able to get results soon.
The vaccine is all set to use the bodies own immunity to resist the onset and progress of the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease that affect people above the age of 40 years.The first phase of the human trials which began some time back, was when scientists had used vaccines with beta amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the disease affected brains of the patients. In 2002 the trials were stopped owing to some participants developing inflammations in brain. They were observed for adverse reactions for about a year after their last injections.
After proving to be safe, the phase two of the trials of the vaccine has began successfully. In this phase the vaccine aims at stimulating an immune attack on beta amyloid without any threat of brain inflammation. The results from the interrupted tests show that there had been significant increase in memory retention by patients who have received the vaccine against those who received the placebo.
Researchers feel that what now remains to be seen is whether the vaccine can safely create an immune response that will severely slowdown the spread of the Alzheimer’s disease.
The results of the trials of the vaccine are published in the journal Neurology.
Reference: University of Michigan Medical Center, News Release, May 2005
