New Alzheimer’s drug hope
February 14, 2012
RESEARCHERS in the US are
boosting the hopes of Alzheimer’s
sufferers worldwide, with the
results of their study which showed
bexarotene’s promise in correcting
the pathological, cognitive and
memory deficits caused by the
disease in mice.
Published in Science, the study
found that bexarotene, a skin
cancer drug, cleared accumulations
of the amyloid-beta protein in
mice, which is associated with
impaired learning and memory
functions in Alzheimer’s patients, in
a matter of days.
Following dosage with the drug,
mice with Alzheimer’s-like
symptoms experienced improved
cognitive function for up to three
months (after which the scientists
stopped monitoring), as well as
improved social
functionality and sense of smell.
“This is a particularly exciting and
rewarding study because of the
new science we have discovered
and the potential promise of a
therapy for Alzheimer’s disease,”
said lead author of the study, Dr
Gary Landreth, a neuroscientist at
Case Western Reserve University.
“We need to be clear - the drug
works quite well in mouse models
of the disease.
“Our next objective is to ascertain
if it acts similarly in humans,” he
added.
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