New Alzheimer's Treatment Shows Promise
Researchers have developed a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease called aducanumab. It’s based on a human antibody—an immune system protein that fights infection. But in this case, the protein attacks the harmful plaque that damages the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. In a study of 165 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s, those who received aducanumab for a year showed less of a decline in thinking ability and daily activity than those receiving a placebo. And using sophisticated brain imaging, no amyloid plaques were visible in the group that received aducanumab. Researchers are now testing the treatment in two more studies involving a total of 2,700 people that are planning to run for at least three years.
Source: Nature, published online Aug. 31, 2016