Hope raised for Alzheimer’s sufferers as disease ‘is reversed in mice’
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ALZHEIMER’S disease has been successfully reversed in mice — offering hope for humans.
Researchers found that gradually reducing an enzyme called BACE1 in the brain can undo damage caused by the illness.
The process cleared amyloid plaques, a sign of Alzheimer’s, from brains of dementia-hit mice.
It improved the rodents’ cognitive function — boosting learning and memory, a team at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, US, found.
Dr Riqiang Yan, of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute in the US, said: "To our knowledge, this is the first observation of such a dramatic reversal of amyloid deposition in any study of Alzheimer's disease mouse models."
There have been previous attempts to develop drugs that inhibit BACE1, but these have mostly failed owing to unacceptable side-effects, such as liver toxicity and eye problems.
Last year a trial of a drug developed by pharceutical giant Merck was abandoned before it could be completed after disappointing results.
It raises hopes that drugs targeting BACE1 could successfully treat the disease in humans.
There are 850,000 people with dementia in Britain, and this figure is expected to reach one million by 2025. Alzheimer's is the most common form of the condition.
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A key characteristic of Alzheimer's is the development of the abnormal clusters of amyloid plaques.
These changes cause inflammation and damage to the neurons leading to memory loss, confusion and dementia.
Dementia can trigger personality changes, anxiety, mood swings and depression.