A major step toward an Alzheimer’s treatment and vaccine
January 17, 2013
PET scan of the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease, showing a loss of function in the temporal lobe (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A way to stimulate the brain’s natural defense mechanisms in people with Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered by researchers at Université Laval, CHU de Québec and pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): a molecule known as MPL (monophosphoryl lipid A) that stimulates the activity of the brain’s immune cells.
The breakthrough opens the door to developing a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and a vaccine to prevent the illness.
80% of senile plaques eliminated
One of the main characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease is the production in the brain of a toxic molecule known as amyloid beta. Microglial cells, the nervous system’s defenders, are unable to eliminate this substance, which forms deposits called senile plaques.
The researchers administered weekly injections of MPL over a twelve-week period to mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms. The treatment eliminated up to 80% of senile plaques. Tests measuring the mice’s ability to learn new tasks also showed significant improvement in cognitive function over the same period.
The molecule has been used extensively as a vaccine adjuvant by GlaxoSmithKline for many years, and its safety is well established.
Uses for MPL: treatment and vaccine
The researchers see two potential uses for MPL. It could be administered by intramuscular injection to people with Alzheimer’s disease to slow the progression of the illness. It could also be incorporated into a vaccine designed to stimulate the production of antibodies against amyloid beta as a preventive measure for people with risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
“When our team started working on Alzheimer’s disease a decade ago, our goal was to develop better treatment for Alzheimer’s patients,” explained research team leader Dr. Serge Rivest, professor at Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CHU de Québec research center. “With the discovery announced today, I think we’re close to our objective.”
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide. There is no current cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death.
Comments (8)
by George Holizki
My wife has Alzheimer’s. I am sure she would be willing to be involved in test trials to get rid of Alzheimer’s. It is not nice to see her go from being a Canadian Ladies’ Championship golfer (twice) to one who can hardly speak and is bed ridden. I certainjly would support any attempt to help Vivian get rid of Alzheimer’s. Let me know if this can happen. Thanks.
by Aaron Wright
This is an exciting breakthrough. Alzheimer’s is such a terrible disease, and I would argue that the need for a treatment ranks right up there with cancer and HIV. To watch someone’s mind slowly degrade over so many years is aweful.
by G. Ward
I have Alzheimers history in my father’s line and am, of course, interested in any significant progress in treatment for this disease.
by Bri
It’s comforting to know that substantial progress is being made. For the most part these type treatments are as a preventative. Once damage has occured to the neurons, other therapies will be needed foreshore full functioning.
by asiwel
This sounds like good research and is published in PNAS, But I thought much work had been done already on toll-like receptor 4 and on MPL. I understood from popularizations of other research that simply removing amyloid beta plaques had not shown the good results that had been hoped for. Here, apparently, these mice did show improvement in cognitive function. Since GlaxoSmithKline has used this as a vaccine adjuvant, I wonder if there are studies of the rate and severity of Alzheimers in populations who have received this adjuvant and those that have not? It is simply hard to put a report like this into the larger context of research progress … without reading their literature review, I guess.
by Chis
Sounds great! Sign me up also.
by McTruck
I’ll take my dose now.
by Chris
Amazing!