May 10, 2005
U.S. researchers now say there's new hope for fighting Alzheimer's disease. They say triggering the body's own immune system by vaccinating Alzheimer's patients with beta amyloid, a substance that builds up in the brain, is showing promising results.
Writing in the medical journal Neurology, the researchers said patients receiving an injection of beta amyloid did better on memory tests than subjects who had taken a placebo.
Part of the study included brain scans of the subjects. Those who had taken the beta amyloid showed a slight decrease in the size of their brains. The authors suggest the immune response was removing the built-up protein implicated in Alzheimer's.
But the study stalled after some of the participants developed a nasty side effect - inflammation of the brain. Out of safety concerns, the trials were suspended immediately.
But researchers associated with the original project still believe it holds much promise for the aging population, and have been working to eliminate the possibly harmful side effects. A new trial will begin this year in Michigan.
