A groundbreaking experiment revealed that alzheimer's disease was reversed in mice by removing a single enzyme the brain.
The study, published on Valentine’s Day, by the Journal of Experimental Medicine, found that by reducing the amount of BACE1 in mice, as they got older, prevented or reversed amyloid plaques that form in Alzheimer’s patients brains.
BACE1 is a protein that forms naturally in the brain and produces beta-amyloid peptide, which is also forms brain plaques. Without the protein, none of the mice tested developed Alzheimer’s, they had healthy brains well into old age.
Doctors find the results promising, but say it’s too early to begin celebrating. Studies need to be further developed on humans, which will take about 5-7 years to know if the same approach is applicable to humans.
“I would say that this is an incremental finding. It’s not revolutionary but it does add further support to current ongoing approaches,” said Dr. Daniel Franc, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. “I don’t think there has ever been a better time to think that we will have interventions for Alzheimer's.”
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