So, as we’ve discussed over the past few days (check yesterday’s blog, if you want), the FDA approved Aduhelm, the monoclonal antibody that attaches to amyloid. The problem is that there is no clinical data demonstrating this will help alleviate the memory loss in Alzheimer’s patients- despite the FDA approval.
Tag Archives: amyloid
Hope or Chimera for Alzheimer’s Patients?
Hmm. Is this good news or not?
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has just approved aducanumab (Aduhelm) for Alzheimer’s. Of course, if you are Biogen, this is great news. But, since the data is – how do I say this?- less than emphatic- will this really help patients?
A blood test for Alzheimer’s?
Now, we have to wonder…
If they really have developed a blood test that can indicate if we are going to develop Alzheimer’s disease, do we want to take it? After all, we have no method of curing Alzheimer’s- nor do we even have a process by which we can ameliorate the symptoms. (Protein clumps appear in the brain some 20 years before folks manifest memory loss and/or confusion. And, not all patients with amyloid clumps manifest Alzheimer’s. But, really, PET- positron emission tomography, a brain scan- is the only foolproof method to scan for Alzheimer’s now. And, a PET scan is very expensive- on the order of $ 5K.)
The Eyes Have It
Yesterday, we talked about the use of PET imaging to detect Alzheimer’s. The process requires the injection of tracers into the brain to render the amyloids more easily detectable. The real problem is that PET scans are not cheap. (And, what would we do with this information, besides….)
Clueless?
This is like a mystery novel. (Actually, most scientific studies ARE mysteries- because if we knew what we needed to know, there’d be no need to experiment and test. We need to develop a sound hypothesis, based upon what we learned, and then examine how we can extend that knowledge.)
No warning for this Scarlet A’s approach
What does it mean for us all if Alzheimer’s doesn’t originate in the brain?
That’s not as far-fetched an idea as you might think. After all, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) can be acquired by ingesting infected meat products- or even via blood transfusions. (These contain the contagion of prion proteins.)
Do you see the light?
Sometimes, even your hoped for results astound you. Like, Dr. Hannah Iaccarino (MIT) found when she zapped a mouse with induced (but initial stages of) Alzheimer’s disease. The light caused brain wave induction (roughly 40 oscillations per second [Hz]). And, then she found that the toxic protein levels of amyloids halved.