Alzheimer's vaccine 'promising' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5071036.stm

A potential DNA vaccine for Alzheimer's disease has produced promising results
in mice.
In tests it helped cut levels of key amyloid proteins thought to cause the
disease by up to 50% in some parts of the brain. And unlike alternative vaccines
in development, which use viruses, it produced no side effects. The Japanese
study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Over-production of amyloid proteins are thought to trigger symptoms of
Alzheimer's by forming clumps that litter the brain. Previous studies have shown
that it is possible to stimulate the immune system of mice to attack these
plaques if they are immunised with amyloid protein.

This approach has been tested in preliminary trials on humans, but early results
showed that the immune response was too strong, leading to damaging swelling of
the brain, as well as plaque destruction. New studies in man are currently
underway that hope to mobilise the immune response in a less aggressive manner
so that plaques are destroyed, but brain swelling is avoided.

Gentle response


The vaccine was tested on mice
The latest approach, developed by a team at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for
Neuroscience, works by stimulating the body to produce small amounts of amyloid
protein itself. Mice are injected with naked DNA that codes for these proteins,
rather than relying on a special virus to get it into the cell. This has the
effect of producing a more gentle immune response, and importantly the DNA has
also been designed so that it is not capable of replicating itself by
incorporating itself into the human genome. In tests, the latest vaccine reduced
the deposition of amyloid proteins by between 15.5% and 38.5% compared with
untreated mice. Deposition in specific areas of the brain - the cerebral cortex
and hippocampus - was reduced 40%-50%. The researchers suggest that DNA vaccines
of the type they have produced could provide a cheap and effective strategy for
treating Alzheimer's in future.

Dr Clive Holmes, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said the Toyko study held
great promise. He said: "This work represents a promising new line of vaccine
development but more research would be needed to see if this could be replicated
safely in humans." Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, agreed that
the fact that the vaccine appeared safe was significant. She said: "The findings
support the idea that a vaccine is our best hope for fighting this devastating
disease for which there is currently no cure."

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