A groundbreaking new treatment could ‘turn off’ the Alzheimer’s gene

• A single dose of ‘gene silencing’ treatment can reduce dangerous proteins by 90%
• A groundbreaking trial is currently underway on 20 people, including four Britons.

A revolutionary new treatment for alzheimer the disease could ‘turn off’ the gene that helps cause the disease, scientists hope.

A trial currently running on 20 people, including four Britons, uses a new technology called ‘RNA interference’ which stops cells from making toxic proteins.

So far, he has found that a single dose of the “gene silencing” treatment, now known as ALN-APP, can reduce levels of a dangerous amyloid precursor protein by 90 percent, and levels are still 65 percent. percent lower after six months. .

The research follows recent scientific advances to attack the disease, where the drugs lecanemab and donanemab managed to eliminate the protein once it was already present.

The ALN-APP treatment, however, goes a step further to prevent it from occurring in the first place by attenuating the proteins that cause the disease.

Dr Catherine Mummery, the neurologist leading the UK trial, said The times: ‘Instead of cleaning up the proteins, it’s about going upstream and stopping their production in the first place.

“If you’re just cleaning up the proteins that are already there, you have to constantly clean up the damage while the tap is still running.

“But if you turn off the tap, you have a much better chance of avoiding further damage.”

Around 850,000 Britons and 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.

The disease is the leading cause of dementia, a condition in which patients have limited ability to remember, think or make decisions that interfere with daily activities.

In April, a study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that dementia and Alzheimer’s were the leading cause of death in the UK in 2022, collectively accounting for 65,967 deaths.

Results of a phase one trial were published at a conference in Amsterdam last month, showing that the treatment is safe with minimal side effects.

In the trial, six people were given a placebo drug, while the remaining 14 were given the real drug.

Amyloid proteins can stick together and form clumps, which then become plaques in the brain. It is believed to be toxic to brain cells.

Scientists hope that the treatment could prevent patients from developing symptoms.

However, more evidence is still needed before it can be approved for use on the NHS.

While lecanemab and donanemab need to be given a couple of times a month, the new treatment, which is injected directly into the spinal cord through the lower back, will only be needed once or twice a year.

donanemab It has been found to halt a reduction in the ability to perform daily activities by up to 40 percent, according to initial findings published May 3.

Less than a year ago it was discovered that lecanemab reduce cognitive decline among those with the memory steal condition by 27 percentt. It was approved for use in the US on July 7, while the introduction of the drug in the UK is “on the horizon”.

Donanemab works by removing clumps of plaque from the brain known as amyloid, which are closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease.