Protein injection hope for Alzheimer’s

Scientists believe injections of a natural protein may lessen the symptoms and progress of Alzheimer’s dementia after promising early trials in mice.

The treatment – IL 33 – appeared to improve memory and help clear and prevent brain deposits similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer’s, according to BBC.

Tentative human studies of the treatment will soon begin, but experts say it will take many years to know if it could help patients in real life.

The work is published in PNAS journal.

Interleukin 33, or IL 33 for short, is made by the body as part of its immune defence against infection and disease, particularly within the brain and spinal cord.

And patients with Alzheimer’s have been found to have lower amounts of IL 33 in their brains than healthy adults.

The researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology tested what effect a boost of IL 33 might have on mice bred to have brain changes akin to Alzheimer’s.

The rodents rapidly improved their memory and cognitive function to that of the age-matched normal mice within a week of having the injections.

H.Z