メディエイゴ

A vaccine(1) created by University of Rochester Medical Center scientists prevents the development(2) of Alzheimer’s disease(3)-like pathology(4) in mice(5) without causing inflammation(6) or significant(7) side effects(8).

Vaccinated(9) mice generated(10) an immune response(11) to the protein(12) known as amyloid-beta peptide(13), which accumulates(14) in what are called “amyloid plaques(15)” in brains(16) of people with Alzheimer’s. The vaccinated mice demonstrated normal learning skills(17) and functioning memory(18) in spite of(19) being genetically(20) designed to develop an aggressive(21) form of the disease.

The Rochester scientists reported the findings in an article in the May issue of Molecular Therapy(22), the journal of The American Society of Gene Therapy(23).

“Our study demonstrates that we can create a potent(24) but safe version of a vaccine that utilizes(25) the strategy(26) of immune response shaping(27) to prevent Alzheimer’s-related pathologies and memory deficits(28),” said William Bowers, associate professor(29) of neurology(30) and of microbiology(31) and immunology(32) at the Medical Center and lead author(33) of the article. “The vaccinated mice not only performed better, we found no evidence(34) of signature(35) amyloid plaque in their brains.”

Alzheimer’s is a progressive(36) neurodegenerative disease(37) associated with dementia(38) and a decline in performance of normal activities. Hallmarks(39) of the disease include the accumulation(40) of amyloid plaques in the brains of patients and the loss of normal functioning tau(41), a protein that stabilizes(42) the transport networks(43) in neurons(44). Abnormal tau function eventually leads to(45) another classic hallmark of Alzheimer’s, neurofibrillary tangle(46) in nerve cells(47). After several decades of exposure(48) to these insults(49), neurons ultimately(50) succumb(51) and die, leading to progressively(52) damaged learning and memory centers(53) in the brain.