Skin cancer drug already approved by the FDA over ten years ago now may treat Alzheimer's
Targretin (bexarotene) capsules are used to treat the skin problems arising from a disease called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or CTCL when at least one systemic therapy has not worked just may hold promise for those with Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease the most common for of dementia affects one in ten people over the age of 65 years. Currently, there is no cure for this disease but researchers from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine just may have found a promising treatment for this disease by using an already approved drug for skin cancer. This new finding being called a dramatic breakthrough in efforts to find a cure for this disease.
For one test, researchers placed tissue paper in cage. Acting on instinct mice will use the paper to build a nest but those mice with Alzheimer's could not figure out what to do with the tissue paper. This reaction showed they lost their ability to associate the paper to a nest. When administered bexarotene treatment just after 72 hours the mice once again remembered what to do with the paper and proceeded to build a nest showing the drug approved their behavior. Along with improved behavior the ability to sense and respond to odors had also seen improvement.
In another test to demonstrated improved memory the mice were tested before and after being treated with the drug. Alzheimer's mice walked directly into a cage where they had received a painful shock however, after receiving treatment with the drug the mice refused to enter the cage, their memory had reminded them of the shock.
Bexarotene treatment was found to work quickly to activate removal of amyloid plaque from the brain. The plaques are compacted accumulations of amyloid that forms in the brain and are the pathological sign of Alzheimer's disease. Within 72 hours of the mice receiving bexarotene the plaques had been cleared. The ending reduction total was 75%. It seemed the drug reprogrammed the brain's immune cells to consume the amyloid deposits. This observation had shown that bexarotene addresses the amount of both soluble and deposited form of amyloid beta within the brain and reverses the pathological features of the disease in mice.
Paige Cramer, PhD Candidate at Case Western Reserve and the author of study, in a written public release stated this was an unprecedented finding. "Previously, the best existing treatment for Alzheimer's disease in mice required several months to reduce plaque in the brain."
Dr. Gary Landreath, PhD, professor of Neurosciences, Neurology Director, and co-author of this study in 2008, had found that the main cholesterol carrier in the brain Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), facilitated the clearance of the amyloid beta proteins.
Dr. Landreath along with his grad student believed if they used this drug to increase ApoE then they may be able to reduce some of the plaques in mice that were genetically bred to have Alzheimer's disease.
This study establishes a link between the primary risk factor for Alzheimer's and a promising therapy to address it.
According to Cramer Previously, the best existing treatment for Alzheimer's disease in mice required several months to reduce plaque in the brain."
Dr. Landreath adds "This is a particularly exciting and rewarding study because of the new science we have discovered and the potential promise of a therapy for Alzheimer's disease. We need to be clear; the drug works quite well in mouse models of the disease. Our next objective is to ascertain if it acts similarly in humans. We are at an early stage in translating this basic science discovery into a treatment."
Bexarotene has a good safety and side effect profile. Researchers are hoping that these aspects will help speed the transition to clinical trails of this drug.
Researchers are hoping for approval to study bexarotene in humans as soon as possible. Dr. Landreath related to the post that there is an urgency since he has heard from physicians that patients are already asking for this drug. He does note "We've got to work fast, and we have got to be right, we can't screw this up”.
This research is published in the journal Science.
Along with the good news some bad news can fall. One physician related to the Wall Street Journal the drug cost would be around $1,200 monthly and it is unlikely that insurance would pay for it.
For treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Dementia and Cognitive Disorders in Detroit:
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2799 West Grand Boulevard
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1-800-436-7936
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