Protective Molecules in Alzheimer's Disease: Therapeutic Antibodies.
Treatment of Alzheimer's disease by recruiting an immune response against beta-amyloid was suggested by the findings that monoclonal antibodies against beta-amyloid peptide can keep the peptides from aggregating into neurotoxic fibrils and dissolve already formed amyloid. Subsequent beta-amyloid vaccination studies in transgenic mice models of Alzheimer's disease have shown a significant reduction in the number of amyloid plaques and overall amyloid burden and even some improvement in cognitive performance. It is not yet clear if immunization with soluble or fibrillar forms of beta-amyloid peptide will end up being a treatment to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease. However, various strategies for mobilizing the immune system may be effective toward treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease in humans. (c) 2002 Prous Science. All rights reserved.
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