<p>Scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have discovered a new compound that can restore memory loss and reverse symptoms in Alzheimer’s.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the US found that when a molecule called TFP5 is injected into mice with disease that is the equivalent of human Alzheimer’s, symptoms are reversed and memory is restored—without obvious toxic side effects.<br /><br />“We hope that clinical trial studies in Alzheimer’s patients should yield an extended and a better quality of life as observed in mice upon TFP5 treatment,” said senior researcher Harish C Pant.<br /><br />“Therefore, we suggest that TFP5 should be an effective therapeutic compound,” Pant said in a statement.<br /><br />To make this discovery, Pant and colleagues used mice with a disease considered the equivalent of Alzheimer’s. One set of these mice were injected with the small molecule TFP5, while the other was injected with saline as placebo.<br /><br />The mice, after a series of intraperitoneal injections of TFP5, displayed a substantial reduction in the various disease symptoms along with restoration of memory loss.<br /><br />In addition, the mice receiving TFP5 injections experienced no weight loss, neurological stress (anxiety) or signs of toxicity. The disease in the placebo mice, however, progressed normally as expected.<br /><br />TFP5 was derived from the regulator of a key brain enzyme, called Cdk5. The over activation of Cdk5 is implicated in the formation of plaques and tangles, the major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.<br /><br />“The next step is to find out if this molecule can have the same effects in people, and if not, to find out which molecule will,” said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, where the study was published.<br /><br />“Now that we know that we can target the basic molecular defects in Alzheimer’s disease, we can hope for treatments far better – and more specific – than anything we have today,” Weissmann added.</p>
<p>Scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have discovered a new compound that can restore memory loss and reverse symptoms in Alzheimer’s.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the US found that when a molecule called TFP5 is injected into mice with disease that is the equivalent of human Alzheimer’s, symptoms are reversed and memory is restored—without obvious toxic side effects.<br /><br />“We hope that clinical trial studies in Alzheimer’s patients should yield an extended and a better quality of life as observed in mice upon TFP5 treatment,” said senior researcher Harish C Pant.<br /><br />“Therefore, we suggest that TFP5 should be an effective therapeutic compound,” Pant said in a statement.<br /><br />To make this discovery, Pant and colleagues used mice with a disease considered the equivalent of Alzheimer’s. One set of these mice were injected with the small molecule TFP5, while the other was injected with saline as placebo.<br /><br />The mice, after a series of intraperitoneal injections of TFP5, displayed a substantial reduction in the various disease symptoms along with restoration of memory loss.<br /><br />In addition, the mice receiving TFP5 injections experienced no weight loss, neurological stress (anxiety) or signs of toxicity. The disease in the placebo mice, however, progressed normally as expected.<br /><br />TFP5 was derived from the regulator of a key brain enzyme, called Cdk5. The over activation of Cdk5 is implicated in the formation of plaques and tangles, the major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.<br /><br />“The next step is to find out if this molecule can have the same effects in people, and if not, to find out which molecule will,” said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, where the study was published.<br /><br />“Now that we know that we can target the basic molecular defects in Alzheimer’s disease, we can hope for treatments far better – and more specific – than anything we have today,” Weissmann added.</p>