Scientists have discovered an antibody that can almost clear all visible signs of Alzheimer’s disease, making it the first drug that can prevent the condition. One doctor even considers it the best news in his 25-year career. The Swiss-designed drug comes from an immune cell taken from the blood of people up to 100 years old who show no signs of Alzheimer’s. Brain scans of patients suffering from the disease were taken as they tested out the new drug. Researchers have reported that after a year, practically all of the amyloid had disappeared. The preliminary trials included 165 men and women in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The effects were so impressive, they were published in Nature, the world’s top science journal. Untreated, this disease slowly diminishes the memory of its victims, but patients who received high doses of the drug stopped getting worse after just six months. Since the trial was too small to prove the drug can stop Alzheimer’s in its tracks, a larger trial is underway including 2,700 people in the early stages of the disease. It’s meant to conclude in 2020, and if all goes well, the drug will be available shortly after. This breakthrough drug comes from immune cells taken from the blood of elderly people, and has showed incredible results so far. Researchers are excited for what this breakthrough might mean for the future. Dr. Tara Spires-Jones, director of Edinburgh University’s Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, is one of many doctors looking forward to the possibilities. “I am cautiously optimistic about this treatment, but trying not to get too excited because many drugs make it through this early stage of testing then go on to fail in larger trials,” she said. Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, explains that the results are the most encouraging and detailed for a drug of its type. “No existing treatments for Alzheimer’s directly interfere with the disease process – and so a drug that actually slows the progress of the disease by clearing amyloid would be a significant step,” said Pickett. While we can’t have our hopes completely up, this is a promising step in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Hospitals and clinics in major British cities are looking for patients to take part in a trial, including London, Newcastle, Glasgow, and more. These trials are meant to find a dose powerful enough to work but not so intense that they’ll cause damage. Another obstacle is, of course, proving that the drug works long term. However, we can be excited that this new drug is considered the best yet. Let’s cross our fingers and hope it works. Source
