Antibodies May Help Treat Alzheimer's Disease And Perhaps Reverse It

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Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 19 Jul 2006 - 7:00 PDT

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A new 18-month study at Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, has found that treatment with antibodies halted the development of Alzheimer's disease in six out of eight patients. The researchers found that in some cases this treatment managed to slightly reverse the disease. Current drugs do not stop the disease's progression.

Scientists reported their findings at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, Madrid, Spain.

As a result of these promising results, a Phase II trial with 24 participants is already underway. This trial will compare the antibody treatment to a placebo. Next year another trial, Phase III, with 210 participants will take place.

The antibody is produced naturally by the human body. In this study, patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). IVIg consists of many antibodies from the blood of thousands of healthy donors. IVIg is commonly used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The IVIg in this trial was donated by Baxter International Inc.

It is thought that beta amyloid, a protein, is responsible for the destruction of brain cells. While some of us are able to produce enough antibodies to combat this protein, others are not. As brain cells die, our memory suffers. People who produce antibodies to combat beta amyloid have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. People who produce smaller amounts of these antibodies have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. IVIg is thought to speed up the elimination of beta amyloid from the human body.

As people worldwide are living longer each year, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease is expected to rise. Add to this new research linking a higher risk of the disease with diabetes type 2 - and the numbers will rise even more. More and more people are developing diabetes type 2.

INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBULIN (IVIG) THERAPY
Norman R. Relkin, Cornell University, Weill College of Medicine,, New York, NY, USA.
Keywords: immunotherapy, clinical trials, amyloid, IVIg
To see abstract online, click here and use keywords above.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
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