Drug Can Reverse Alzheimer’s in One Week

alzheimersA drug that reversed Alzheimer’s in mice in only one week will be tested in people this year. The IL-33 protein reversed Alzheimer’s-like disease in mice, stopping cognitive decline in its tracks, according to joint research by the University of Glasgow and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

“IL-33 is a protein produced by various cell types in the body and is particularly abundant in the central nervous system — brain and spinal cord,” said Professor Eddy Liew of the University of Glasgow. “We carried out experiments in a strain of mice (APP/PS1) which develop progressive AD-like disease with aging.

We found that injection of IL-33 into aged APP/PS1 mice rapidly improved their memory and cognitive function to that of the age-matched normal mice within a week.”

Characteristics of Alzheimer’s include the amyloid plaque deposits and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. As the disease progresses, plaques and tangles build, leading to the loss of connections between nerve cells. Eventually, the cells die, which causes the loss of brain tissue . . .

Although the researchers aren’t positive the protein will work in humans, they are optimistic. “Previous genetic studies have shown an association between IL-33 mutations and Alzheimer’s disease in European and Chinese populations,” said Liew. “Furthermore, the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease contains less IL-33 than the brain from non-Alzheimer’s patients. (Read more from “Drug Can Reverse Alzheimer’s in One Week” HERE)

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