Experimental drug targets Alzheimer’s
By Nathan Seppa
A novel drug reverses some Alzheimer’s-type symptoms in mice, a study shows.
Researchers used mice genetically engineered to accumulate waxy plaques of beta-amyloid protein in their brains, a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease in people. Then, over 8 weeks, the scientists regularly injected some mice with the new drug and gave others inert shots.
The researchers tested how well the mice learned and recalled how to navigate a water maze. Mice treated with the experimental drug, called AF267B, did better than the mice getting inert shots, the researchers report in the March 2 Neuron.