An exciting Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough may have just been discovered, and if it works the way scientists think it might, it could offer hope to millions of people struggling with the degenerative disease. The new Alzheimer’s breakthrough, which was announced Wednesday, comes in the form of an antibody present in the blood of elderly patients who haven’t developed Alzheimer’s. When the antibody (called aducanumab) is administered in drug form, it can actually visibly clear visible Alzheimer’s disease signs from the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
The end of #Alzheimers ? Revolutionary drug 'may stop the disease from ever developing' https://t.co/azx8YicXCt http://pic.twitter.com/yGAxVLNIGy
— Britannia PR (@Britanniacomms) August 31, 2016
In the clinical trial, the results were so promising that The Independent reported one scientist as saying that they were desperately “trying not to get too excited” about the Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough.
In specific, the Alzheimer’s drug, which is still in the early clinical trial stages, visibly eliminated nearly 100 percent of the amyloid plaques in the brains of the Alzheimer’s patients participating in the trial who received the highest doses of the experimental antibody treatment. Amyloid plaques are a visible symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, they occur in the brains of all Alzheimer’s patients, and they are visible on brain scans.
According to the scientists who conducted the study on the Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough, in addition to the visible improvement of the brains of the clinical trial patients that received the experimental drug, those patients also demonstrated a decreased rate of cognitive decline. Cognitive decline is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and it is traditionally progressive and accelerates as the disease progresses.
The findings of the Alzheimer’s antibody study were published in the journal Nature.
In addition to being an incredibly promising Alzheimer’s disease treatment, the new study also offers some previously unknown insight into the devastating disease. As a result of the clinical trial, researchers are coming to the realization that the amyloid plaques could actually be causing the Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline rather than simply being a waste product or byproduct of the Alzheimer’s brain.
According to one expert, if the Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough is repeatable on a large scale, it could totally change the game when it comes to treating and preventing Alzheimer’s.
Fortunately for Alzheimer’s sufferers, their loved ones and caretakers and anyone the world over that might be someday impacted by the disease, large scale clinical trials of the new drug are being conducted in multiple locations across the globe.
Researchers indicate that the results of the Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough are profound and consistent across the board, even though the initial clinical trial was small in scope. The trial reportedly involved four groups. Three of the groups got the actual drug in three different doses and the fourth received a placebo. Clinical trial participants were unaware of which group they were in.
projo: RT gwaynemiller: 'a major #milestone in the #war on #Alzheimers' projo https://t.co/vJX6560LQ0 http://pic.twitter.com/GKYH8nJO9A
— Paul Edward Parker (@projopaul) August 31, 2016
After receiving the drug (or not) over the course of a year, scientists discovered amazing in the trial patients’ brain scans.
“One year later, the images of the placebo group are basically unchanged. In the three doses groups, a very clear reduction in amyloid plaques is shown – the higher the dose, the larger the degree of reduction.”
Researchers and scientists are calling the effects of the new breakthrough Alzheimer’s drug “unprecedented.” However, their optimism is cautious and they are withholding their ultimate judgement on the success of the of the new Alzheimer’s drug until they can be confirmed and repeated in larger trials.
If the Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough can be repeated and is consistent in its effectiveness, it could give doctors an excellent new tool for treating and perhaps even preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Tantalising signs that new #Alzheimers drug could benefit early-stage patients https://t.co/mir8ngPhnl http://pic.twitter.com/aVwuu9W33N
— Ladislav Miko (@LadislavMikoSk) August 31, 2016
Doctors, researchers and scientists acknowledge that the trial Alzheimer’s treatment could potentially offer a treatment for the disease unlike anything available today. No drug or other treatment currently available on the market actually does anything to counteract the progression of Alzheimer’s, which means that aducanumab could potentially revolutionize the way Alzheimer’s is handled by medical professionals. I could even be bringing humanity one step closer to a cure for the disease, which is always fatal.
“No existing treatments for Alzheimer’s directly interfere with the disease process – and so a drug that actually slows the progress of the disease by clearing amyloid would be a significant step.”
Head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, Dr. James Pickett, commented on the newly published research. He called the results of the study “the most detailed and promising we’ve seen.”
???? >>> #Alzheimers drug study gives 'tantalising' results https://t.co/vYG8pbZW6V http://pic.twitter.com/v6JJy6IR93
— Sue Llewellyn (@suellewellyn) August 31, 2016
The new Alzheimer’s disease breakthrough treatment isn’t without its risk, although reportedly the most commonly reported side-effect of the experimental treatment was headache. It’s also worth noting that the long-term risks/benefits of the drug are not known and extensive further study on the practical impacts of the breakthrough Alzheimer’s disease treatment on the cognitive impacts of the disease are needed.
While it’s not known when this newly discovered drug could be widely available to the general population, experts expect that the next stage of widespread clinical trials on the breakthrough Alzheimer’s disease drug to be completed in 2020.
[Image via Shutterstock]
Alzheimer’s Disease Breakthrough: New Drug Visibly Clears Amyloid Plaque From Brains Of Trial Patients [Video] is an article from: The Inquisitr News
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