In a July 8, 2013 press release, researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, led by Donna Wilcock, announced they have recently published a new paper in the Journal of Neuroscience detailing an advance in treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
The Gammagard IVIg is a therapy that has been investigated in the treatment of Alzheimer's, but was poorly understood. The UK researchers started investigating the mechanism in regard to how it acts in the brain to decrease deposits of amyloid, a key element in Alzheimer's pathology.
Researchers introduced IVIg directly into the brains of mice that possessed the human gene which allows amyloid plaques to build. According to the press release, 'They found that IVIg lowers amyloid deposits in the brains of the mice over the course of seven days. Their data suggest that the modulation of inflammation in the brain by IVIg is a key event that leads to the reduction in amyloid deposition.'
The scientists hypothesize that the IVIg acts as an immune modulator.
This research shows that modulating the immune response within the brain will help ameliorate the Alzheimer's pathology.
The Gammagard IVIg is a therapy that has been investigated in the treatment of Alzheimer's, but was poorly understood. The UK researchers started investigating the mechanism in regard to how it acts in the brain to decrease deposits of amyloid, a key element in Alzheimer's pathology.
Researchers introduced IVIg directly into the brains of mice that possessed the human gene which allows amyloid plaques to build. According to the press release, 'They found that IVIg lowers amyloid deposits in the brains of the mice over the course of seven days. Their data suggest that the modulation of inflammation in the brain by IVIg is a key event that leads to the reduction in amyloid deposition.'
The scientists hypothesize that the IVIg acts as an immune modulator.
This research shows that modulating the immune response within the brain will help ameliorate the Alzheimer's pathology.