Setting the Alzheimer's Clock Back

Scientists at Saint Andrews University in Scotland believe they have developed a compound which can undo some of the characteristics associated with Alzheimer's and can even turn them around.
Posted : Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:28:17 GMT
By : Brian Holmes
Category : Health
News Alerts by Email ( click here )
Health News | Home
Scientists at Saint Andrews University in Scotland believe they have developed a compound or chemical which brings them nearer to a cure for Alzheimer's.

This compound, they say, can block the interaction of a nerve cell which initiates the disease symptoms. And with this, the biologists feel that they can undo some of the characteristics associated with Alzheimer's and can even turn them around.

This has been reported in the journal, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience.

Although the treatment is still in the experimental stage and will be ready for testing on humans only after some time, the good news is that it proves to be effective even at a very early stage.

It had been discovered, earlier on, that Alzheimer's was caused by a toxic protein that killed nerve cells in the brains of its victims.

In the very early stages of the disease, the toxic protein known as amyloid collects in nerve cells and kills them. Then, moving out of the cells and collecting in clusters labelled senile plaques, the amyloid ataches itself to an enzyme called Amyloid Beta Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ABAD) which it turns off.

Working with genetically altered mice, the scientists at St. Andrews developed a three-dimensional model of ABAD in order to better understand how the protein attaches itself.
They then worked at finding or developing a compound which could block or reduce this incapacitating contact.

They cultivated a chemical decoy known as a peptide. As Scotland's Dr Frank Gunn-Moore explains, "Based on our knowledge of ABAD, we produced an inhibitor that can prevent amyloid attaching to it in a living model."

The peptide, they were pleased to see, prompted some amyloid already attached to ABAD to detach itself from it and to link up with it instead. With this, the disease did not develop further and some signs of memory loss and learning problems were reversed in the mice.

Observing this development, Scotland's Dr Frank Gunn-Moore and his team together with scientists in the United States, believe they can likewise prevent the dying off of brain cells which could result in the improvement of a previously damaged memory and learning ability in human beings.

Although it is estimated that it will be at least another three years for the peptide to be developed into a drug, and then some more years for the first human trials to be carried out, this has been hailed as landmark.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research, Alzheimer's Society, said: "The study provides another important piece in the puzzle for understanding Alzheimer's disease and points toward a possible new treatment target, which has so far been unexplored."

The Alzheimer's Research Trust that helped sponsor the research has described the results as exciting and has awarded the scientists another grant for the furtherance of its research over the next three years.

About half a million people in Britain are affected by Alzheimer's and this number is expected to practically double as the next generation of the population continues aging.

Although it is believed to be hereditary, genetic factors have been found to be causative in only a few families and there is no single gene for the disease. Scientists believe that several factors such as age and lifestyle, besides genetic background, can lead to its commencement.

Copyright, respective author or news agency

Share/Save/Bookmark

Article : Setting the Alzheimer's Clock Back
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader


Related News

Iraqis urged not to hug or kiss during holiday season
Baghdad - The government has urged Iraqis not to not greet loved ones with hugs or kisses during the coming Eid al-Adha holiday as a precaution against swine flu. The Ministry of Health has flooded the television, radio and mobile-phone airwaves with...

Study: Lack of sleep makes children twice as likely to become obese
Hong Kong - Young children face a significantly higher risk of becoming obese if they do not get enough sleep, university researchers in Hong Kong said Thursday. A study of five to 12-year-olds by the city's Chinese University found that children who...

Swine Flu fears add hurdles to Islamic pilgrimage - Feature
Cairo - Saudi Arabia, home to the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina, has recommended that all Muslim pilgrims get vaccinated for A(H1N1) before going on the hajj, as the pilgrimage is called - but Egypt took it one step further, ordering the traveler...

Fear of swine flu spurs global hunt for vaccine - Feature
Geneva -Initial concern over the spread of the A(H1N1) pandemic virus is now being echoed by different worries - over anti- viral drugs, vaccine supplies and the actual or perceived safety of the inoculations. However, reactions across the glove have...

Doctor-hunters seek bounty in Australia
Sydney - Advertisements ran in local newspapers Thursday offering a finder's fee of 3,000 Australian dollars (2,750 US dollars) for anyone who can persuade an overseas doctor to work in Australia. The advertisements were placed by the Australian Medi...

Jordan reports three new swine flu deaths raising total to 14
Amman - The Jordanian health authorities on Wednesday reported three new swine flu fatalities which raised the country's total to 14 so far, according to a Health Ministry statement. The ministry said 87 people tested positive for the H1N1 virus this...

Slovakia reports first suspected swine flu death
Bratislava - A 32-year-old Slovak man who died in hospital on Tuesday is suspected of being Slovakia's first swine flu fatality, public health officials said Wednesday. The chronically ill man, who was confirmed to have been infected with the H1N1 in...

Have your Say
Name
Email
Subject
Your Comment

Enter Verification code
 
  

 

 

More Health News click here
Follow The Earth Times
Subscribe to RSS Follow Earth Times on TwitterNews by email
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
 



 
Subscribe to free Earthtimes
News Alerts by Email Click here
For RSS Feeds Click here
or Create your own RSS

Add to Google Toolbar
Breaking News
Press Releases

 


The Earth Times
News Category

© 2009 www.earthtimes.org, The Earth Times, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Earth Times accept no responsibility or liability either directly or indirectly for views or opinions expressed in articles or comments.