Scientists from the Technical University of Munich have published a new paper showing that using a BACE inhibitor drug reduces the amount of amyloid beta in the brains of mice and restores the normal function of nerve cells and significantly improves memory.
Amyloid beta is a protein believed to be a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease and significant research around the world has focused on finding ways to remove or reduce the accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain, The Independent reported.
No drug on the market today can effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease with 50 million already suffering from Alzheimer’s globally and tens of millions more projected to be diagnosed with the disease as the global population ages in the coming decades.
The new study led by Aylin Keskin, tested a substance that inhibits beta secretase in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The mice used in the study accumulate large amounts of amyloid beta, which then become amyloid beta plaques in the brain and lead to cognitive decline.
The mice were fed the beta secretase inhibitor for up to eight weeks, after which the scientists examined the brains of the mice.
The brains of the mice in the study showed amyloid beta and brain functions actually normalized.
A major discovery from the study was that the memory of the mice significantly improved and they were able to remember the location of a hidden platform in a water-filled maze as fast as healthy mice.
Clinical Trials in Humans
The results from the study will soon be trialed in human Alzheimer’s patients with a large-scale clinical trial currently being planned with around 1000 participants that will test a modified form of the BACE inhibitor drug. Co-author of the study, Marc Aurel Busche said “Needless to say, we very much hope that the promising discoveries in the animal model will translate to humans.
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