Testing antibodies to fight Alzheimer’s Disease

“A study conducted in 2007 on 800 patients did not produce conclusive results”, revealed Dr. Vasavan Nair, lead researcher of the Douglas Institute. This time, the study will cover 3,000 patients particularly in Canada, the United States and Asia. The Jewish General Hospital and Toronto and Ottawa institutions are taking part in the study.”

The last study probably failed because several patients were already diagnosed to be in the most severe stages of Alzheimer’s. “We’re going to concentrate on those patients who have been diagnosed with light to moderate Alzheimer’s; moreover we are enlarging the sample size to four times more than the original sample and will expand the geographical areas of the study”, Dr. Nair explained.

The treatment was developed to eliminate the amyloid beta-protein in the brain; the build-up of this protein produces senile plaques that kill cells. The intravenous injection of antibodies called “anti-amyloid beta proteins” may diminish or even stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This vaccination-based approach could prove to be effective therapy for patients with light to moderate Alzheimer’s.

Contrary to the usual drugs that aim to lessen the damage on brain cells, this method tries to eliminate the protein that actually causes the damage.

People aged between 50 and 88 years old who have been diagnosed with light or moderate Alzheimer’s can participate in the study provided each of them is accompanied by another person. “They will be monitored by a medical team that will administer blood tests and neurological exams, performing six catheter infusions of the drug every 13 weeks for a total period of 65 weeks”, Dr. Vasavan Nair pointed out.

Even if the drugs being marketed today slow down the progression of the disease for up to six months, this new drug, if successful, will attack the main source of the problem. “We need participants to find out if this research drug will act as we think it will so we can help patients in the future”, Dr Nair said. He is encouraging patients who satisfy the criteria to register for the trial by calling 514-761-6131, extension 4406.