HIV Drugs May Help Alzheimer's

A study published in Nature suggests certain HIV drugs could be repurposed for people with Alzheimer's, based on new findings about the disease's origination, reports the Lompoc Record . The researchers determined in most cases, Alzheimer's is not inherited, but develops through non-random genetic rearrangements in neurons. The team combined single and multiple-cell analytical methods to examine 13 donated human brains, some normal, some with Alzheimer's. The results were consistent with epidemiological data from older adults with HIV, who were treated with reverse transcriptase inhibitors for decades, and almost never developed Alzheimer's. "The authors carefully demonstrate that there are extensive modifications to genetic material in the Alzheimer's disease brain," says the University of Southern California's Paul Aisen. "These are changes that occur with aging, rather than inherited genetic characteristics. While this is an intriguing idea, the actual contribution of this age-related genetic change remains uncertain."