London: A new gene therapy for Alzheimer’s successfully reduces the amount of the harmful protein tau that causes the disease, a new study has revealed.
The researchers say the findings are a major breakthrough in targeting the protein to slow or potentially reverse the disease.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and UCL have presented the first gene silencing method for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Gene silencing is a process in which cells turn off large portions of chromosomal DNA.
The results of the research revealed that scientists could reverse the amount of this dangerous protein by silencing the messages from DNA that make tau, the protein that causes Alzheimer’s, with the help of the drug BIIB080.
According to the results of a phase 1b trial, the drug blocks the gene from being made into a protein. Decreased production of this protein leads to changes in Alzheimer’s disease.
“More research is needed to understand the extent to which the drug can slow the progression of the physical symptoms of the disease, as well as the drug’s effectiveness in older people,” said Dr. Catherine Meumeri, who led the trial. And analysis in larger groups of different populations is also needed.
Research results published in Nature Medicine indicate that this procedure has a biological effect.
(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3&appId=770767426360150”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));