| 1. |
- Blennow, Kaj, 1958, et al.
(author)
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Is it time for biomarker-based diagnostic criteria for prodromal Alzheimer's disease?
- 2010
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In: Alzheimer's research & therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 2:2
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ABSTRACT: Drug candidates targeting amyloid-beta (Abeta) pathology in Alzheimer's disease are in different phases of clinical trials. These treatments will probably be most effective in the earlier stages of the disease, before neurodegeneration is too severe, but at the same time symptoms are vague and the clinical diagnosis is difficult. Recent research advances have resulted in promising biomarkers, including cerebrospinal fluid analyses for tau and Abeta, magnetic resonance imaging measurement of atrophy, and positron emission tomography imaging of glucose metabolism and Abeta pathology, which allow identification of prodromal Alzheimer's disease. More details are needed, however, on how these biomarkers can be standardized, to allow a general implementation in the clinical routine diagnostic work-up of patients with cognitive disturbances.
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| 2. |
- Lannfelt, Lars, et al.
(author)
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Perspectives on future Alzheimer therapies : amyloid-beta protofibrils - a new target for immunotherapy with BAN2401 in Alzheimer's disease
- 2014
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In: ALZHEIMERS RES THER. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 6:2, s. 16-
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The symptomatic drugs currently on the market for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have no effect on disease progression, and this creates a large unmet medical need. The type of drug that has developed most rapidly in the last decade is immunotherapy: vaccines and, especially, passive vaccination with monoclonal antibodies. Antibodies are attractive drugs as they can be made highly specific for their target and often with few side effects. Data from recent clinical AD trials indicate that a treatment effect by immunotherapy is possible, providing hope for a new generation of drugs. The first anti-amyloid-beta (anti-A beta) vaccine developed by Elan, AN1792, was halted in phase 2 because of aseptic meningoencephalitis. However, in a follow-up study, patients with antibody response to the vaccine demonstrated reduced cognitive decline, supporting the hypothesis that A beta immunotherapy may have clinically relevant effects. Bapineuzumab (Elan/Pfizer Inc./Johnson & Johnson), a monoclonal antibody targeting fibrillar A beta, was stopped because the desired clinical effect was not seen. Solanezumab (Eli Lilly and Company) was developed to target soluble, monomeric A beta. In two phase 3 studies, Solanezumab did not meet primary endpoints. When data from the two studies were pooled, a positive pattern emerged, revealing a significant slowing of cognitive decline in the subgroup of mild AD. The Arctic mutation has been shown to specifically increase the formation of soluble A beta protofibrils, an A beta species shown to be toxic to neurons and likely to be present in all cases of AD. A monoclonal antibody, mAb158, was developed to target A beta protofibrils with high selectivity. It has at least a 1,000-fold higher selectivity for protofibrils as compared with monomers of A beta, thus targeting the toxic species of the peptide. A humanized version of mAb158, BAN2401, has now entered a clinical phase 2b trial in a collaboration between BioArctic Neuroscience and Eisai without the safety concerns seen in previous phase 1 and 2a trials. Experiences from the field indicate the importance of initiating treatment early in the course of the disease and of enriching the trial population by improving the diagnostic accuracy. BAN2401 is a promising candidate for A beta immunotherapy in early AD. Other encouraging efforts in immunotherapy as well as in the small-molecule field offer hope for new innovative therapies for AD in the future.
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| 3. |
- Mangialasche, Francesca, et al.
(author)
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Dementia prevention : current epidemiological evidence and future perspective
- 2012
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In: Alzheimer's research & therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 4:1, s. 6-
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dementia, a major cause of disability and institutionalization in older people, poses a serious threat to public health and to the social and economic development of modern society. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular diseases are the main causes of dementia; most dementia cases are attributable to both vascular and neurodegenerative brain damage. No curative treatment is available, but epidemiological research provides a substantial amount of evidence of modifiable risk and protective factors that can be addressed to prevent or delay onset of AD and dementia. Risk of late-life dementia is determined by exposures to multiple factors experienced over the life course, and the effect of specific risk/protective factors depends largely on age. Moreover, cumulative and combined exposure to different risk/protective factors can modify their effect on dementia/AD risk. Multidisciplinary research involving epidemiology, neuropathology, and neuroimaging has provided sufficient evidence that vascular risk factors significantly contribute to the expression and progression of cognitive decline (including dementia) but that active engagement in social, physical, and mentally stimulating activities may delay the onset of dementia. However, these findings need to be confirmed by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A promising strategy for preventing dementia is to implement intervention programs that take into account both the life-course model and the multifactorial nature of this syndrome. In Europe, there are three ongoing multidomain interventional RCTs that focus on the optimal management of vascular risk factors and vascular diseases. The RCTs include medical and lifestyle interventions and promote social, mental, and physical activities aimed at increasing the cognitive reserve. These studies will provide new insights into prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia. Such knowledge can help researchers plan larger, international prevention trials that could provide robust evidence on dementia/AD prevention. Taking a step in this direction, researchers involved in these European RCTs recently started the European Dementia Prevention Initiative, an international collaboration aiming to improve strategies for preventing dementia.
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| 4. |
- Zetterberg, Henrik, 1973, et al.
(author)
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Use of theragnostic markers to select drugs for phase II/III trials for Alzheimer disease.
- 2010
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In: Alzheimer's research & therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-9193. ; 2:6
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ABSTRACT: In a slowly progressive disorder like Alzheimer disease, evaluation of the clinical effect of novel drug candidates requires large numbers of patients and extended treatment periods. Current cell- and animal-based disease models of Alzheimer disease are poor at predicting a positive treatment response in patients. To help bridge the gap between disease models and large and costly clinical trials with high failure rates, biomarkers for the intended biochemical drug effect may be of value. Such biomarkers may be called 'theragnostic'. Here, we review the literature addressing the prospective value of these biomarkers.
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