Alzheimer's Vaccine

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http://dailynews./h/kgtv/20010608/lo/827426_1.html

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Friday June 08 09:22 PM EDT

Early Studies Of Alzheimer's Vaccine Show Promise

Tests are under way to see if a new vaccine can prevent Alzheimer's

disease (news - web sites), 10News reported.

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the

brain.

It is characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in

several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such

as memory and learning.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Researchers

have yet to learn what causes the disease.

It usually begins after age 65 but onset may occur as early as 40.

The early symptoms of AD, which include forgetfulness and loss of

concentration, can be easily missed as they resemble natural signs of

aging.

Here are some facts provided by the Alzheimer's Association:

Alzheimer's affects about 4 million Americans.

One out of every 10 people over the age of 65 has Alzheimer's.

A person with Alzheimer's lives an average of eight years and as many

as 20 years from the onset of symptoms.

The federal government devoted nearly $500 million to Alzheimer's

research last year.

Researchers at the University of South Florida have found a vaccine

that can stop or slow Alzheimer's in mice that have been genetically

engineered to develop the disease.

The researchers were skeptical at first and actually expected the

vaccine to cause premature memory loss, because it promotes brain

inflammation that can lead to neuron death.

Typically, a vaccine is made of small amounts of a virus or other

organism, such as polio or influenza, that will kick the body's

immune system into action and trigger immunity to that disease.

The Alzheimer's vaccine appears to work in much the same way. It

consists of beta amyloid protein, which creates plaque in the brains

of Alzheimer's patients and is thought to play a role in the

development of the disease.

The vaccine triggers the immune system to remove the amyloid plaques

in the brain or even keep them from forming at all.

Researchers tested the vaccine on mice genetically engineered to

develop Alzheimer's disease. The mice were taught to navigate a water

maze to find an underwater platform on which they could rest.

At 12 months, both vaccinated and unvaccinated mice did equally well.

By 15 months, however, the unvaccinated Alzheimer's mice could not

find the platform, even after five tries.

Their vaccinated counterparts found the platform and performed just

as well as animals with no disposition to the disease.

Human vaccine trials have begun, but experts caution the mouse

research does not deal with some key mental abilities lost in

Alzheimer's, such as language and judgment.

They now hope to learn if the vaccine can reverse existing memory

loss in Alzheimer's mice. They will also determine how long the

vaccine continues to work.