New Treatment for Alzheimer’s - Breaking News

The Guardian Newspaper reported this week that, following a successful drug trial, a new medication that will essentially “switch off” the production of amyloid proteins that lead to the sticky plaques seen in the brains of those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the most commone form of dementia. One of the main theories concerning the etiology of Alzheimer’s is that these accumulating sticky proteins kill off healthy neurons, leading to memory loss, cognitive decline and eventually death.

In the trial, a drug called verubecestat was shown to reduce the levels of two compounds known to be the building blocks for abnormal amyloid proteins in the cerebral fluid surrounding the brain. It works by blocking a brain enzyme called BACE1, which fuels the production of two tiny molecules that join to form amyloids. People who appear to be protected against Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have mutations in genes related to BACE1.

The drug goes into the final stages of clinical testing, with the first results due in July 2017. With a million people expected to have dementia by 2025, the results will be awaited eagerly by sufferers and families alike.

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