A method to slow down Alzheimer's disease has been found

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have reported a potential breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease therapy. According to their latest data, the innovative drug gantenerumab can significantly delay the onset of symptoms in patients with a genetic predisposition to this disease. Although hereditary cases of Alzheimer's are uncommon, they are characterized by early onset - carriers of mutated genes typically face dementia as early as 30-50 years of age.

Gantenerumab is a synthetic antibody that specifically targets the beta-amyloid protein. This protein forms characteristic "plaques" in brain tissue which, according to specialists, are a key factor in the development of Alzheimer's. Clinical trials have demonstrated impressive results: participants who received the drug for the maximum duration experienced a 50% reduction in the risk of developing symptoms. Although this is not a complete cure, these results convincingly demonstrate for the first time the possibility of slowing disease progression when therapy is initiated early.

Notably, similar drugs, including gantenerumab, previously showed no efficacy in patients with already manifested symptoms. The new data confirm the hypothesis about the necessity of a preventive approach to treatment. Despite the fact that clinical trials concluded in 2020, and pharmaceutical giant Roche suspended the drug's development in 2022 after a series of failures, the latest analysis results open new perspectives. Scientists will need to conduct additional research to confirm the obtained data and further study the drug's potential.