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An Alzheimer's Nasal Spray Vaccine Is About to Enter Human Trials For The First Time
Alzheimer's treatments seemed like an unlikely prospect mere months ago.
Drug trials tried and failed for 20 years to produce treatments that would stop the progression of the disease, and several large pharmaceutical companies abandoned the mission of developing Alzheimer's treatments altogether.
[...] Now, the field of Alzheimer's treatments may finally be opening up.
Last week, Brigham and Women's Hospital announced it would spearhead the first human trial of a nasal vaccine for Alzheimer's, designed to prevent or slow the disease's progression.
The trial is small – 16 people between ages 60 to 85 with Alzheimer's symptoms will receive two doses of the vaccine one week apart. But it builds on decades of research suggesting that stimulating the immune system can help clear out beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.
[...] The vaccine sprays a drug called Protollin directly into the nasal passage, with the goal of activating immune cells to remove the plaque.
FDA OKs Phase 1 Trial of Nasal Spray Immunotherapy Protollin
Protollin is a new intranasal immunotherapy made of proteins derived from the outer membrane of certain bacteria. It works by stimulating the innate immune system — the part of the immune system that serves as the body's first line of defense — to clear amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles from the brain.
It worked in mice, so it must be good.
Also at Medical News Today.
Related: Novel Dementia Vaccine on Track for Human Trials Within Two Years
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 28 2021, @03:23AM (3 children)
Seems like the researchers have memory loss too, since there have been about a million treatments that remove amyloid plaque and none of them have any effect on the actual disease. It's a symptom, not the cause. It's like fighting lung cancer with cough suppressants.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday November 28 2021, @03:09PM (2 children)
Maybe. But even if so, treating the symptom may be good enough to give millions of people a much better life. That's good, right?
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 28 2021, @04:02PM
Agreed. More like treating an erection with a blowjob. It doesn't cure it but sure helps in the short term.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday November 29 2021, @07:21PM
Is there any evidence that clearing amyloid plaques even helps mentation in the short run? I haven't heard of any.