Alzheimer’s DNA Vaccine Shows Promise As It Closes In On Clinical Trials
A DNA vaccine tested in mice reduces the accumulation of tau and beta-amyloid — two toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to research published in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy. The animal trial, in which a vaccine delivered to the skin prevents the buildup of the two toxic proteins via an immune response, did not trigger the type of brain swelling that derailed previous experiments, opening the door to possible clinical trials.
The vaccine, which contains DNA coding for a segment of beta-amyloid that also reduces tau in mice modeled for Alzheimer’s, had previously been successfully tested on rabbits and monkeys. The tau and beta-amyloid proteins kill brain cells as they create plaques and neuron tangles within the brain of Alzheimer’s patients. The study was conducted by Dr. Roger Rosenberg, the founding director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UT-Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.
