A new molecular compound developed by Saint Louis University scientists has been shown to reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice — potentially opening the door to developing new drugs to treat the incurable memory-robbing condition.
According to the study, published in the
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the molecule — known as antisense oligonucleotide (OL-1) — restored learning, memory, and appropriate behavior in mice engineered to have Alzheimer's-like symptoms. The molecule also reduced inflammation in the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory,
Medical Xpress reports.
The paper, authored by a team of scientists led by Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University, is the second mouse study that supports the potential therapeutic value of an antisense compound in treating Alzheimer's disease in humans.
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"It reversed learning and memory deficits and brain inflammation in mice that are genetically engineered to model Alzheimer's disease," said lead researcher Susan Farr, a professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University. "Our current findings suggest that the compound … is a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease."
Farr noted the study involved mice, not human patients, and like any drug would need to be tested for safety and effectiveness in controlled clinical trials, in which people given OL-1 would be compared to a similar group of individuals not taking the compound.
But Farr suggested the findings are a positive step forward, showing that OL-1 interferes with the buildup of amyloid beta proteins in the brain, which many scientists believe are a key factor in Alzheimer's. Scientists found that learning and memory improved in the genetically engineered mice that received OL-1 compared to those that did not.
"To be effective in humans, OL-1 would need to be effective at suppressing production of human amyloid beta protein," Farr said.
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