Brush and floss!

In the Daily Wire, Amanda Prestigiacomo reports, Porphyromonas gingivalis, a key bacteria in chronic gum disease, appears to be the cause of Alzheimer's disease, researchers believe.

"Bacteria involved in gum disease and other illnesses have been found after death in the brains of people who had Alzheimer’s, but until now, it hasn't been clear whether these bacteria caused the disease or simply got in via brain damage caused by the condition," reports New Scientist.

The finding, says the site, could lead to a vaccine for Alzheimer’s: "[A] drug that blocks the main toxins of P. gingivalis is entering major clinical trials this year, and research published today shows it might stop and even reverse Alzheimer's."

...According to Colgate.com, signs of gum disease include, "gums that bleed when eating, brushing, and flossing because they are swollen and tender. You may also notice that your gums are receding. When this happens, your teeth look longer. If you notice sores in your mouth or pus in between your gums and teeth, then chances are you may have gum disease."

Read more here.

Faster, please!

Hank Berrien reports in The Daily Wire,

A new Alzheimer's vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern could conceivably cut the number of dementia cases in half.

Unlike a previous attempt that caused swelling in the brain when DNA was injected into the test mice's muscles, the new vaccine was administered by injecting it superficially into the skin.

Alzheimer’s, which is expected to strike triple the number of people by 2050, cripples the brain as human beings age, as beta-amyloid proteins in the brain get stuck together and tau proteins start to tangle, both of which inhibit neural connections. The new vaccine, injected into the skin, triggers the skin cells to produce a three-molecule chain of beta-amyloid. The immune system is then catalyzed to produce antibodies to fight beta-amyloid; the antibodies also fight tau proteins. This means the body anticipates the Alzheimer's plaques and tangles before they happen.

As the Daily Mail reports, the research team tested four groups of mice; the vaccinated mice experienced as much as 40% of their beta-amyloid plaques reduced and as much as 50% of their tau tangles diminished. No adverse immune response was observed.

The study explained:

We report, for the first time in an AD mouse model, that active DNA Aβ42immunization into the skin targets two pathologies: amyloid-containing plaques and tau. DNA vaccination, in which not the antigen (peptide or protein) but the DNA encoding this peptide is administered, is an alternative route of vaccination. Genes encoded by the DNA are expressed within the skin, and the peptides are taken up by dendritic cells traveling to the regional lymph nodes and presenting the antigen to B and T cells. Immune responses to DNA or peptide immunization differ qualitatively.

We have shown previously that full-length DNA Aβ42 trimer immunization is noninflammatory and induces a regulatory immune response. DNA Aβ42 trimer immunization has been shown to be effective in removing amyloid from the brain in immunized double-transgenic mice. In the present study, we used a triple-transgenic AD mouse model that exhibits Aβ and tau pathologies characteristic of human AD. We found that immunotherapy with DNA Aβ42 trimer leads to reduction of Aβ40/Aβ42 peptides and amyloid plaques, and we show for the first time that DNA Aβ42 trimer immunization leads also to significant reduction of tau from the mouse brain.

The study concluded, “It is expected that DNA Aβ42 trimer immunotherapy in a clinical trial will reduce both plaques and tangles in patients with AD.”

Dr. Roger Rosenberg, founding director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center at University of Texas Southwestern, said the new vaccine “is the culmination of a decade of research that has repeatedly demonstrated that this vaccine can effectively and safely target in animal models what we think may cause Alzheimer's disease.” He added, “I believe we're getting close to testing this therapy in people.”

Study senior author Dr. Doris Lambracht-Washington said: “If the onset of the disease could be delayed by even five years, that would be enormous for the patients and their families. The number of dementia cases could drop by half.”

The study was published in the journal Alzheimer's Research and Therapy.

What's Your Reaction?

Early intervention, imaging tests, new antibody drugs show promise in slowing the advance of Alzheimer’s disease.

Antonio Regalado writes at MIT Technology Review,

The earlier Alzheimer’s disease is treated, the better. Maybe even before symptoms arise. That’s the idea behind experimental drugs designed to remove plaques from the brain and prevent cognitive changes.

Today in Washington, both Eli Lilly and Biogen presented new data suggesting that antibodies designed to break up or clear the beta-amyloid plaques can slow the advancement of Alzheimer’s, particularly in patients with the mildest form of the disease.

...The brain scans are a key innovation, and a recent one. In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a fluorescent imaging dye made by Lilly that sticks to the plaques and makes them light up in a PET scanner (see “Brain Scan for Alzheimer’s”). Before that, Alzheimer’s plaques were usually diagnosed with certainty after death, during an autopsy.

...That has meant as many as 25 percent of patients in drug studies haven’t actually had Alzheimer’s, but instead a different form of dementia. What’s more, scientists have discovered that the plaques start building up 10 to 20 years before outward symptoms arise, suggesting that drugs ought to be given much sooner.

...Biogen’s results have been by far the most promising. Last March, it found in a small study that patients taking the highest dose of its antibody underwent cognitive declines about a fifth as great as patients getting a placebo. The mental declines were measured using exams with questions like “What is the year?” and “Where are we now?” and “Count backwards from 100 by 7s.” They also had less plaque in their brains.

The higher doses of Biogen’s drug did have side effects, including headaches and water buildup on the brain. In Washington today, Biogen presented new data on an additional 30 patients who received an intermediate dose of the drug. The results were largely consistent with its previous findings: both the degree of side effects and improvements seem to track directly to the dose of its drug.

...About 40 or 50 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s, and any drug able to slow the disease could become the drug industry’s largest blockbuster.

Read more here.