12 Apr 2002

Despite Elan's trials and tribulations, the show must go on, and many researchers are pursuing what they hope will be a better antibody for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Last Tuesday, at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Chicago, Illinois, Terry Lichtor of Loyola University , Chicago, and colleagues reported that a single injection of an Ab antibody could prevent plaque formation in transgenic mice.

The authors stereotactically placed the antibody in the third ventricle, close to the hippocampal and cortical sites where plaques develop. They tracked the peroxidase-labeled antibody tracked and found it distributed throughout the brain within 24 hours (see also Chauhan et al, 2001). Four weeks later, the mice had no Congo red-positive bodies, indicating they were plaque-free. The authors suggest that stereotactic intracranial procedures may offer a new approach to a vaccination, though it remains to be seen how well such a procedure will be welcomed in the clinic.—Tom Fagan

References: Lichtor T, Chauhan ND, Siegel GJ. Prevention of Alzheimer plaque formation in a transgenic mouse model. Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois. Abstract No. 826.

See related ARF news story