New therapy for Alzheimer's disease
The study of the drug based on the new principle of combating beta-amyloid oligomers was conducted by Professor Michael Volz at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology of the Vienna Medical University.
In the summer of 2018, the drug PRI-002 for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease proved its safety and tolerability in humans when administered a single maximum dose.
Prior to this, many drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease failed during the crucial clinical phase III, after which the effectiveness of the drug can be confirmed. There were no improvements in memory and cognitive abilities in patients in any of them.
The main target of drugs for Alzheimer's disease are beta-amyloid plaques. The beta-amyloid protein is produced in the body throughout life. It is non-toxic and quite rarely forms toxic oligomers under normal conditions. However, even rare events become more likely the longer the waiting period. It is for this reason that age is the most important risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease. When the first oligomers are formed, they can multiply and, unlike monomers, are very toxic. They also disrupt the normal function of nerve cells in the brain. Unlike much larger fibrils in plaque deposits between nerve cells, oligomers are very mobile and can damage any part of the brain.
The mechanism of action of PRI-002 is completely different from its predecessors. The drug immediately destroys toxic oligomers, dismantling them into harmless monomers.
In addition, PRI-002 belongs to a completely new class of drugs, D-peptides. They consist of mirror images of L-amino acid residues, and therefore decompose very slowly in the body. As a consequence, PRI-002 is stable enough for oral use, i.e. in the form of a tablet or capsule.
The results of preclinical efficacy tests of PRI-002 were also obtained by oral administration. Recent studies have shown that in very old mice with fully developed pathology, the deficit of memory and cognitive abilities was reduced.
Successful results of trials of PRI-002 on healthy volunteers give the green light to the further development of this drug. The next goal of the research group is to prove efficacy in patients. Scientists cooperate with the company Priavoid.
Article by Schemmert et al. Aß Oligomer Elimination Restores Cognition in Transgenic Alzheimer's Mice with Full-blown Pathology is published in the journal Molecular Neurobiology.
Elena Panasyuk, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru / based on the materials of the Institute of Complex Systems: Alzheimer therapy from Jülich passes another important test.