Researchers develop preliminary vaccine for Alzheimer’s

A cure for Alzheimer’s does not yet exist, but researchers at the University of New Mexico believe that they may have found a vaccine, reports the UNM Health Sciences Newsroom.

Kiran Bhaskar, an associate professor for UNM’s Health and Sciences Department, first conceptualized the idea for the vaccine in 2013.

Bhaskar and his team injected afflicted mice with a serum designed to target the “tau” protein, which is normally a stabilizing structure in the brain. But in patients with Alzheimer’s, the tau protein forms long tangles that disrupt the ability of neurons to communicate with one another — this leads to cognitive decline and memory impairment.

The vaccine developed by Bhaskar’s team contained antibodies meant to clear the tau protein from the mice’s brains. In a series of maze-like tests the vaccinated mice performed markedly better than their unvaccinated counterparts, suggesting that the vaccine prevents neurons from dying.

Although Alzheimer’s is far from cured, a reliable way to prevent the disease may be on the horizon. Moving forward, Bhaskar hopes to secure funding to commercialize the vaccine and begin human trials — which could take decades and millions of dollars.