Vaccine triggers immune response, prevents Alzheimer’s in mice
May 27, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have created a vaccine that prevents the development of Alzheimer’s disease-like symptoms in mice without causing inflammation or significant side effects.
They used a herpes virus container (stripped of its viral genes) loaded with the genetic code for amyloid beta and interleukin-4 (a protein that stimulates immune responses).
The vaccinated mice generated an immune response to amyloid-beta peptide (a protein that accumulates in “amyloid plaques” in brains of people with Alzheimer’s). They had normal learning skills and functioning memory in spite of being genetically designed to develop an aggressive form of the disease.