10. Immunotherapy against Alzheimer’s
Gunnar Gouras
Gunnar Gouras, Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, and research colleagues discovered how antibodies work both inside and outside brain cells to reduce amyloid peptides, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Using transgenic mice bred to approximate the progress of Alzheimer’s in humans, the researchers exposed amyloid-filled neurons from the mice to antibodies similar to those used in clinical trials. They examined changes in the cells using high-tech microscopy. The researchers discovered that instead of working outside the cell, the antibodies to beta amyloid bind with a specific part of amyloid precursor protein—a precursor molecule to beta amyloid—as it lies on the outside of the affected cell. This complex is then internalized within the cell, where it works to decrease levels of amyloid peptides, the building block of plaques found outside and between cells. The antibodies decrease intracellular amyloid accumulation by about one-third. The research demonstrates that immune-based therapy can rid brain cells of amyloid and provides a better understanding of how immunotherapy works. This discovery raises new hope for the use of immunotherapy against the disease. More research is needed, however, before all the mysteries are cleared up, and a cure is still a ways in the future. The research could also have implications for other studies, particularly of autoimmune disorders where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues.