Science has known for a long time that certain abnormalities in the brain can lead to Alzheimer’s. But Visser’s new approach shows that abnormalities underlie different types of Alzheimer’s, and each requires its own treatment. For example, one type of Alzheimer’s involves nerve cells growing incorrectly in the amyloid proteins in the brain, and another type involves a large amount of inflammation. Subsequent research will focus on the highly targeted use of certain medications against these different types. “Then you can also prevent people from suffering from unnecessary side effects.”
Incorrect use of medications
Until now, it has always been assumed that Alzheimer’s is the same type in everyone. Medicine research also focused on that. But now that it appears that some biological processes in the brain are disrupted in certain subtypes, it may be the case that a medicine does not match the type of Alzheimer’s. If a drug is tested on the wrong person, no effect is visible, while with a different subtype this can produce completely different results.
Antibody treatment
In the research, antibodies are used as medicine against amyloid clotting in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, these proteins and tau proteins clump in the brain. These antibodies bind to the protein, after which it is removed. Recent studies show that this makes people less likely to deteriorate cognitively, due to the inhibitory effect of the antibodies. Visser is particularly enthusiastic about this because the amyloid is removed and there is therefore less chance of other harmful proteins.
Antibody reimbursement
At the same time, there are also risks associated with the treatment: for example, people can experience small bleedings in the brain that usually go away. “But if all the signs are wrong, it could kill you. We want to better map these uncertainties.” The antibody that Visser used in his research is already reimbursed in the United States. In Europe, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) must first consider this before giving approval. This will then be market approved in the Netherlands and the price must be negotiated. The researcher especially hopes that an existing medicine can immediately be used for targeted treatment of Alzheimer’s.
By: National Healthcare Guide / Johanne Levinsky
