Vaccine Shows Promise for Alzheimer's

An innovative vaccine has shown the ability to significantly reduce the deposits of beta-amyloid in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Beta-amyloids are pathologic fragments of a normal brain protein, blamed for the development of AD, as they cause the death of brain cells. Large amounts of the fragments are found in the cerebral fluid of AD patients. These deposits are formed in the brain over the years, creating the plaque structure typical of AD. It has not been established that the soluble beta-amyloids are the cause of the disease.

Affiris (Campus Vienna Biocenter, Vienna, Austria; www.affiris.com) has reported significant reductions in plaques in AD patients by at least two-thirds in pre-clinical models by using the vaccine. "Alzheimer's is caused by a fragment of one of the ubiquitous proteins of cerebral cells,” noted Walter Schmidt, CEO of Affiris. "In keeping with this, Affiris's vaccine approach has been shown to be highly specific for beta amyloid and not to react with the normal constituent of cerebral cells.”

This approach, said the company, offers the advantage of targeting simultaneously both the plaques and the soluble beta-amyloid fraction. Therefore, whether the soluble or plaque form or both are responsible for causing the disease is not crucial for the vaccine's success. Affiris has shown that the vaccine induces antibodies that are active against plaques in human tissue samples. The company manufactures the effective component synthetically and then combines it with a substance isolated from natural resources. Together, these make up the actual vaccine. A standard adjuvant is added to strengthen the immune response.




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