A number of studies recently published have made significant breakthroughs in the field of Alzheimer’s treatment and research. A drug, known as Rember, is believed to have halted the progression of the disease in a substantial number of patients participating in a trial.
There was some disappointing news regarding a possible vaccination, however. British researchers found that although drug vaccination can remove amyloid plaques from the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, this does not slow the progress of the disease. The five-year study, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and published in the Lancet, examined 80 patients with mild to moderate dementia who had been immunised with AN1792.
Contrary to predictions, removal of amyloid plaques did not result in an improvement in cognitive function or survival. Several patients with complete plaque removal deteriorated severely. The previous consensus among dementia scientists – that removing amyloid plaques is key to defeating Alzheimer’s – may now need to be rethought. Lead researcher Professor Clive Holmes of the University of Southampton said: “Our results suggest that brain deterioration can occur in Alzheimer’s despite the removal of plaques. It may be that these toxic plaques trigger the neurodegeneration but don’t have an ongoing role. This study opens up numerous avenues for further research.”
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, commented: “It is disappointing that anti-amyloid treatments did not prevent the disease’s progress, but we still need to do more research into whether earlier removal of this initial ‘motor’ of the disease could slow its progression.”
