Hasty Briefsbeta

New Alzheimer's Treatment Clears Plaques from Brains of Mice Within Hours

20 hours ago
  • #Alzheimer's
  • #Blood-Brain Barrier
  • #Nanoparticles
  • Scientists repaired a natural gateway in mice brains, reducing Alzheimer's-related amyloid-beta plaques by nearly 45% after just three drug injections.
  • Mice with Alzheimer's-like genes showed cognitive improvement, performing as well as healthy peers in memory tasks, with benefits lasting at least six months.
  • The approach focuses on repairing the blood-brain barrier rather than just crossing it, addressing its dysfunction in Alzheimer's to clear waste products like amyloid-beta.
  • Nanoparticles were used to actively restore the blood-brain barrier's function, targeting endothelial LRP1 to enhance amyloid-beta clearance.
  • Current Alzheimer's drugs like lecanemab and donanemab slow symptoms but can't reverse the disease, highlighting the need for new approaches like repairing the blood-brain barrier.
  • The study, published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, suggests potential for a new treatment strategy, though human trials are needed to confirm efficacy.