The potential problem here is that the mouse model is based on the Amyloid theory of the disease, which this year was largely determined to be wrong after a series of major frauds were found in the research implicating Amyloid. This drug might still work since it seems to act on other aspects of the condition in the bloodwork but there is every chance this doesn’t work in practice.
That’s just *56. Amyloid has been known for decades to play some role, even though *56’s data was fraudulent (for a lay-friendly discussion, see https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/what-we-do/researchers/news/explaining-amyloid-research-study-controversy). Amyloid is certainly not the only thing at play, but it does play some role.
Do we know it plays a role? I thought we basically just knew it was an associated biomarker. I kinda thought the research was leaning towards the underlying problem being some kind of issue that kept glial cells from clearing debris effectively, and that the amyloid plaques were mostly another consequence of that same cause, rather than a key mechanism in the chain that led to the dementia.
Yes, it plays a role. What exactly it’s doing is unclear, and it’s probably more that it’s setting up tau to do the real nasty stuff, but it contributes. We know that from experimental work in nonhuman animal models and converging longitudinal work in humans. See, for example: https://www.cell.com/neuron/pdfExtended/S0896-6273(22)00305-1
Huh, I was misinformed about that. Thanks!
This fantastic news! So many future families will not have to endure such horrible fates.
Lab rat quality of life has never been higher
Mrs Brisbee is pleased.
All animals tested on still get gassed after even if they’re healthy
I thought they got decapitated with a guillotine?
Of course I can only hope this is for real. That said, I’m surprised of any lack of mention of AI. I thought AI would solve all the problems.
(AI)zheimers
Edit: This is when you have a good idea, so you go to chatgpt just to get the thought down and some initial feedback, knowing that you’ll come back later to explore it more, but you never do, but also because you think you “documented” it, your brain forgots about it, and the entire thought is lost forever.
Is this your idea?
I should print it, frame it, and give it as a gift to someone…
It is, unfortunately. I’ve noticed myself doing it. Feel free to take it!
They only told you it would in order to get funding. Of course they have very little to show for it.
There is no mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. There is a model of the amyloid hypothesis.
Maybe they should just keep it to themselves until they have a cure… in humans.
That’s not how science works.
No, how science works is people will spend decades and millions in an echo chamber of mouse model experiments and no one will care to translate it to humans.
You missed this part:
The pharmacological approach in this study, however, uses a pharmacologic agent (P7C3-A20) that enables cells to maintain their proper balance of NAD+ under conditions of otherwise overwhelming stress, without elevating NAD+ to supraphysiologic levels.
What they don’t tell you:
The theory is sound, but in practice, if it works, you’re trading alzheimers for terminal cancer.
Edit: This has been discussed in other places. The chemical used for the treatment is very carcinogenic, and while this experiment seems to work on mouse brains, almost every time a “reverse alzheimers” med gets to this stage it fails completely in the human trial.
No. What do you get out of lying about this?
Not a helpful comment.
It sucks that the world is so shit that makes people this cynical. I wish things were better.
Well, pretty much everyone gets cancer of they live long enough.
I’ll take it.
Ok. Let’s pretend that’s what happens. Many people would gladly make that trade if they kept / recovered brain function. Of course, it would depend on many things like how pain and timeline of the cancer vs dementia.
Jokes on them. My mom has both. Yeah.it fucking sucks.
