Immune deficiency drug 'may prevent Alzheimer's'

Experts are constantly seeking a cure for Alzheimer's disease (AD), a condition which affects millions of people worldwide and can have a serious impact on the lives of both the sufferer and their family.

Now, it appears that a drug commonly used to treat a different condition may actually be able to alleviate symptoms in those with dementia.

In a new study taking place in the US this week, expert will monitor the affects of Intravenous Immune Globulin (IGIV) on Alzheimer's, a drug which is generally used to treat immunodeficiency disorders.

Researchers from the Memory and Cognition Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Ohio will use test subjects to determine whether initial studies indicating the effectiveness of immunotherapy targeting beta amyloid (ITBA) in remedying Alzheimer's symptoms are effective on a larger scale.

ITBA is the protein that forms the core of plaques in the brain and the antibodies that bind to beta amyloid are present in IGIV, which is made from the blood of several thousand healthy adults.

Dr Alan Lerner, a principal investigator for the study in Cleveland and director of the Memory and Cognition Center, told health insurance customers that the new procedure may be able to eliminate dementia-causing antibodies.

"We are investigating whether IGIV, which contains naturally-occurring human anti-amyloid antibodies, will defend the brain of AD patients against the damaging effects of beta amyloid. If it does, giving IGIV to patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's may potentially slow the rate of progression of the disease," he explained.

Dr Lerner added that initial studies have suggested that the treatment may be beneficial to those with affordable health insurance and said that further research may lead to the formulation of drugs for widespread use.

By Stephen Tate

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