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posted by chromas on Wednesday August 01 2018, @01:28AM   Printer-friendly
from the I-had-a-dept-for-this-but-I-forgot...what? dept.

Alzheimer's study sparks a new round of debate over the amyloid hypothesis

In the long-running debate over just what causes Alzheimer's disease, one side looks to have scored a victory with new results with an in-development drug. But there's enough variation in the data to ensure that the squabbling factions of Alzheimer's will have plenty to fight about.

At issue is the so-called amyloid hypothesis, a decades-old theory claiming that Alzheimer's gradual degradation of the brain is caused by the accumulation of sticky plaques. And the new drug is BAN2401, designed by Biogen and Eisai to prevent those amyloid plaques from clustering and attack the clumps that already have.

In data presented last week, one group of patients receiving BAN2401 saw their amyloid levels plummet, a result that was tied to a significant reduction in cognitive decline compared with placebo.

[...] But to skeptics, the trial was laden with confounding details that make it impossible to draw conclusions. "These results are a mess," wrote Baird biotech analyst Brian Skorney. "Not so much that they indicate an outright failure of the [amyloid] hypothesis, but they don't really say anything informative at all."

Related: Alzheimer's Disease: A "Whole Body" Problem?
Evidence That Alzheimer's Protein Spreads Like an Infection
Pfizer Halts Research Into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's; Axovant Sciences Abandons Intepirdine
Positive Result in Mice as Alzheimer's Drug Trials Fail and Regulatory Barriers Are Rolled Back


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 01 2018, @02:47AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 01 2018, @02:47AM (#715499)

    A pressurized nitrogen bottle will result in lesser mess. Just set aside enough in your retirement fund for one.

  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Wednesday August 01 2018, @02:52AM (1 child)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Wednesday August 01 2018, @02:52AM (#715500)

    I plan to cook a steak and potato on that hibachi.....

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 01 2018, @08:40AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 01 2018, @08:40AM (#715565)

      Uh-oh. You think you'll remember how to?