It looks like there is hope for people with Alzheimer’s in experimental Immunotherapy. Check out the latest reports about this below.

Experimental immunotherapy

Recent research suggests that immunotherapy could be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.

The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, highlights that the therapy aims to utilize the immune system to eliminate harmful proteins in the brain associated with conditions such as Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Immunotherapy, which is typically used for cancer treatment, works by enabling the body’s immune system to recognize and attack harmful cells.

Immunotherapy is a treatment method used in the case of neurological diseases. It leverages the immune cells present in the brain, called microglia, to target the Amyloid Beta Plaques that are typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These plaques tend to accumulate in the brain and lead to the formation of another protein called tau.

This protein becomes entangled with neurons, thereby initiating the second stage of Alzheimer’s, which is characterized by cognitive decline and brain atrophy.

Although the exact role of these plaques and tangles in Alzheimer’s is not fully comprehended, the scientific consensus is that they significantly contribute to disrupting communication between nerve cells and interfering with essential cellular processes, as per the Alzheimer’s Association.

The researchers conducted a test on mice to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapy. They discovered that once activated, immune cells in the brain would encircle the amyloid beta plaques and form a protective barrier around them, thereby preventing their further spread.

Although the microglia cells are typically responsible for destroying the plaques, they were unable to do so entirely due to a component of the plaques themselves.

However, the researchers were able to engineer antibodies that could successfully block and clear the plaques.

Removing the plaques from the mice was found to alleviate their risk-taking behaviors, which are often associated with Alzheimer’s.

“By activating microglia generally, our antibody can remove amyloid beta plaques in mice, and it could potentially clear other damaging proteins in other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease,” Dr. Marco Colonna, the study’s senior author, said in a press release.

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