It could change Alzheimer’s treatment
Bringing together the research of Alzheimer’s disease and the Colombian village of Lopera to help fight the disease. Clinical trials of a neuroanatomy-based drug
Therapies inspired by Piedrahita’s brain have the potential to help not only the majority of people with late-onset Alzheimer’s, but also those whose genetics leave them at risk of early-onset disease. This includes thousands of people in Colombia with family ties to Piedrahita, brought into the research fold over many decades by Lopera’s efforts to build trust. Kosik expects that these people will continue to aid in the development of these drugs by taking part in future clinical trials. He believes that a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease could be delivered from the remote villages of the South American country.
In 2023, Huang and Lopera were part of a team led by Joseph Arboleda-Velasquez, a cell biologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston, that developed a Christchurch-mimetic antibody named 7C11. In mice, the antibody binding to ApoE4 reduces the pathology of tau. Arboleda- Velasquez hopes to progress the potential therapy to clinical trials by the year 2027.
Animal studies recreated the unusual pattern of proteins seen in Piedrahita’s brain. The APOE3 was inserted into mice that were free from Alzheimer’s disease. These mice had fewer, less widespread tau tangles, less damage to neurons, and less cognitive impairment4. Reduction of binding of the two substances triggered the degradation of the brain. “This may explain why tau seeding and spreading was less,” says David Holtzman, a neurologist and neuroscientist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and senior author of the study.
Genetic testing showed that PSEN1 was not her only mutated gene. There was a form of the gene that she had. One form of this gene, APOE4, is a major risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The lower risk versions or the no effect versions are the two other versions.
Every family has someone who goes against the grain. In this case, it is a person who is challenged by Alzheimer’s disease.
It can be hard to understand how tough a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can be for an individual and their family. There are seven million new cases of Alzheimer’s every year, so we will come to know the feeling well.
The first disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s target the peptide amyloid-β, which clumps together in the brain. Clearing these deposits slows cognitive decline. Building on anti-amyloid therapy or combining it with drugs that target other aspects of the disease is what is needed to achieve stronger effects.
The development of blood tests that differentiate Alzheimer’s from other forms of dementia is a major breakthrough in the past five years. There are concerns over their potential misuse that exist, despite the fact that these diagnostics look set to become crucial tools.
Notes on Semi-Euclidean Dynamics of Dark Matter and the Phenomenology of Gravitational Waves”
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