title: Gantenerumab  for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, and there is no disease-modifying therapy yet available. Immunotherapy directed against the β-amyloid peptide may be capable of slowing the rate of disease progression. Gantenerumab is the first fully human anti-β-amyloid monoclonal antibody.
  
  
  METHODS
  To review the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy drugs and in particular gantenerumab, we used the database MEDLINE. The primary literature on gantenerumab is reviewed in its entirety. We also reviewed the English-language, pre-clinical and clinical trials designed to evaluate the efficacy or/and safety of immunotherapy drugs, from 1999 through 2011. Other Alzheimer's disease-passive immunotherapeutics currently in development, according to www.clinicaltrials.gov, are also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gantenerumab appears capable of reducing the cerebral β-amyloid peptide burden in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Its ability to slow disease progression remains uncertain because no clinical data are available at present. The next step will be to investigate whether removal of brain amyloid translates into clinical benefit for patients at doses of gantenerumab that reduce brain amyloid and are well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Toulouse University Hospital, Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Research Centre, 170 avenue de Casselardit, Gérontopôle, 31059 Toulouse cedex, INSERM UMR 1027, France. delrieu.j@chu-toulouse.fr
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delrieu
authors.forename: Pierre Jean
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ousset
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vellas
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C571128:gantenerumab