Cancer drug may reverse effects of Alzheimer's

SALT LAKE CITY &#8212 Researchers have discovered that a drug used to treat cancer may have benefits for sufferers of Alzheimer's disease.

According to neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University, use of the drug Bexarotene in mice led to quick reversals of pathological, cognitive and memory deficits caused by the disease.

Bexarotene has been Food and Drug Administration-approved for the treatment of cancer for more than a decade. Now, researchers say there is good reason to look into approving it for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

When treated with the drug, soluble amyloid levels in mice fell by 25 percent within six hours. The effects lasted for up to three days.

Soluble amyloid buildup in the brain is what causes the memory impairments that are symptoms of Alzheimer's, scientists believe.

Also within three days of being administered with the drug, the mice showed marked behavioral improvement. Researchers found that their nesting instinct, which seemed to have disappeared in Alzheimer's-diseased mice, reappeared in mice treated with the drug.

This is an unprecedented finding.

–Paige Cramer

"Many often think of Alzheimer's as a problem of remembering and learning," said Dr. Daniel Wesson, a co- author of the study. "But the prevalent reality is this disease spreads throughout the brain, resulting in serious insults to numerous functions."

The drug also caused significant decreases in levels of amyloid plaque in the brain. The plaque, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, is responsible for pathological symptoms of the disease. Researchers saw a decrease in plaque levels of more than 50 percent within three days and a total decrease of 75 percent.

"This is an unprecedented finding," said Paige Cramer, an author of the study. "Previously, the best existing treatment for Alzheimer's disease in mice required several months to reduce plaque in the brain."

The scientists hope the drug's safety record and history of few negative side effects will help with the FDA approval process as they attempt to begin clinical trials of the drug with Alzheimer's patients, of which there are nearly 5.4 million in the U.S alone.

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Cancer drug may reverse effects of Alzheimer's