|
Title: Cancer drug reverses Alzheimer's in mice: study Post by: Coach Hank Crisp on February 09, 2012, 03:04:53 PM http://www.france24.com/en/20120209-cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-mice-study
Quote AFP - A widely available cancer drug has shown remarkable success in reversing Alzheimer's disease in mice, raising hope of a breakthrough against incurable dementia in humans, US researchers said Thursday. Mice treated with the drug, known as bexarotene, became rapidly smarter and the plaque in their brains that was causing their Alzheimer's started to disappear within hours, said the research in the journal Science. "We were shocked and amazed," lead author Gary Landreth of the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio told AFP. "Things like this had never, ever been seen before," he said. The drug works by boosting levels of a protein, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), that helps clear amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. "Think of this as a garbage disposal," Landreth said. "When we are young and healthy, all of us can basically get rid of this (amyloid) and degrade it and grind it into small bits and it gets cleared. "Many of us will be unable to do this as efficiently as we age. And this is associated with mental decline or cognitive impairment." That would be a true miracle. I have had a family member suffer with that terrible diease for years. Title: Re: Cancer drug reverses Alzheimer's in mice: study Post by: 2Stater on February 10, 2012, 08:15:25 AM http://www.france24.com/en/20120209-cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-mice-study Quote AFP - A widely available cancer drug has shown remarkable success in reversing Alzheimer's disease in mice, raising hope of a breakthrough against incurable dementia in humans, US researchers said Thursday. Mice treated with the drug, known as bexarotene, became rapidly smarter and the plaque in their brains that was causing their Alzheimer's started to disappear within hours, said the research in the journal Science. "We were shocked and amazed," lead author Gary Landreth of the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio told AFP. "Things like this had never, ever been seen before," he said. The drug works by boosting levels of a protein, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), that helps clear amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, a key hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. "Think of this as a garbage disposal," Landreth said. "When we are young and healthy, all of us can basically get rid of this (amyloid) and degrade it and grind it into small bits and it gets cleared. "Many of us will be unable to do this as efficiently as we age. And this is associated with mental decline or cognitive impairment." That would be a true miracle. I have had a family member suffer with that terrible diease for years. Same here, but he is now 80 years old. I don't know if he could even be in a study. I have one question, though, how do you know a mouse has dimentia? ??? |