Cancer drug clears Alzheimer’s protein and improves cognition in mice

Thursday, 09 February 2012

US scientists have found that a skin cancer drug is able to clear a known Alzheimer’s protein, amyloid, from the brains of mice. The study, which also showed the mice had cognitive improvements, is published on Thursday 9 February in the journal Sciencexpress.

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:

“While this early study may look promising, success in mice unfortunately does not always guarantee success in people. We would need to see the results of clinical trials before we could know whether bexarotene could prove beneficial for people with Alzheimer’s – and it would also be important to weigh up the risks of any potential side effects.

“There are a number of drugs in development that aim to clear amyloid from the brain, and the jury is still out on whether this approach will be successful as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. It may be that these treatments could be more effective if given early, meaning early detection of the disease will be crucial. If we can fully understand the causes of the disease, we stand a better chance of finding a treatment that could benefit people.

“With 820,000 people affected by dementia, we urgently need new, effective treatments for the condition – that means it’s vital that we invest in research.”