New Anti-AB Vaccine Could Help Halt Alzheimer's Progression, Preclinical Study Finds

A preclinical study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests an antigen-presenting dendritic vaccine with a specific antibody response to oligomeric A-beta (Aß) may be safer and clinically beneficial in treating Alzheimer's disease, reports ScienceDaily . The vaccine, E22W42 DC, utilizes dendritic cells (DC) impregnated with a modified Aß peptide. The researchers tested the vaccine with modified Aß-sensitized DC harvested from mouse bone marrow. These cells interact with T-cells and B-cells to help regulate immunity. The vaccine was found to slow memory impairment in Alzheimer's transgenic mice, with mice in the E22W42 DC-vaccinated cohort exhibiting memory performance similar to that of nontransgenic, untreated mice. E22W42 DC-vaccinated mice also had significantly less errors in working memory than those injected with non-sensitized dendritic cells only. "This therapeutic vaccine uses the body's own immune cells to target the toxic Aß molecules that accumulate harmfully in the brain," said the University of South Florida Health's Chuanhai Cao. "And, importantly, it provides strong immunomodulatory effects without inducing an unwanted, vaccine-associated autoimmune reaction."