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Tuesday
Nov272012

Drug Used to Treat Psoriasis (and Crohn's) Shows Promise for Alzheimer's

DateTuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:19AM

From NHS Choices

BBC News reports that, "drugs used to calm inflammation in psoriasis [and recently found to improve moderate to severe Crohn's Disease] may also help to combat the effects of Alzheimer's disease, a study on mice suggests." The psoriasis treatment, ustekinumab (brand name Stelera), blocks the effects of proteins released by the immune system known as IL-12 and IL-23 that are associated with the inflammation that causes psoriasis.Ustkinumab, with the brand name Stelera, may treat Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia, a condition characterised by the loss of healthy brain cells and the formation of abnormal deposits of proteins ('plaques') and fibres inside the brain.

The news is based on a study published in the journal Nature Medicine that found that proteins released by the immune system (IL-12 and IL-23) that are associated with inflammation were found in high levels in the brains of mice genetically programmed to develop a disease similar to Alzheimer's (a 'mouse model' of Alzheimer's). 

They used two methods to lower the levels of IL-12 and IL-23 in the mouse model of Alzheimer's:

  • deleting the genes that carry the instructions for making IL-12 and IL-23
  • treating the mice with an antibody that blocks the effects of IL-12 and IL-23

Both methods were found to reduce the formation of plaques, and the antibody treatment could reverse some of the behavioural problems seen in the mouse model of Alzheimer's.

This finding has generated particular interest because ustekinumab, a drug which blocks the effects of IL-12 and IL-23, is already used to treat psoriasis in humans. 

Because safety data already exists for the use of this drug treating people with psoriasis, it may mean that human trials using it to treat Alzheimer's disease could happen sooner than for a completely new drug. 

However, it is likely that this is still a way off, with more animal research needed first to support the possible effectiveness and safety of the treatment for Alzheimer's.

Read the rest of the story at NHS Choices.

AuthorKathy | CommentPost a Comment | Reference15 References |

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