News

Failures in Alzheimer’s Vaccine Efforts Result of Research Errors, Scientist Says, And Suggests Ways of Correcting Them

All failed attempts to produce a viable vaccine against amyloid-beta in Alzheimer’s disease have one thing in common — they all used vaccine adjuvants that elicit the wrong kind of immune response, says Qantu Therapeutics’ president and CSO, Dante J. Marciani, in a sweeping retrospective analysis that covers errors in past and…

Alzheimer’s Diagnosed for a First Time in a HIV-Positive Person, Georgetown Researchers Report

Georgetown University researchers reported what is thought to be the first confirmed case of Alzheimer’s disease in a HIV-positive patient, a 71-year-old man with amyloid deposits in the brain detected by a scan. The case report highlights the importance of further study into HIV-related neurological decline, and raises the possibilty that Alzheimer’s…

Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanism Traced to Genetic Defect That Lowers Levels of a Mitochrondrial Protein

Researchers at two Norwegian institutions found that deficits in the mitochondrial protein PITRM1 led to an accumulation of amyloid-beta, whose deposits in the brain are known to cause Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, drawn from a study of a family with a rare genetic defect, further suggest that mitochondria is a key player in neurodegenerative diseases.

Peptides with Neuroprotective Properties, Identified in Early Study, May Help Alzheimer’s Patients

A family of six mitochondrial small humanin-like peptides (SHLPs) showed promising effects on cell survival and metabolism in preclinical studies of aging, a finding with long-reaching implications for age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were announced by the biotechnology company CohBar, which holds the exclusive license for developing SHLPs…

Alzheimer’s Patients Suffer from Face Perception Impairment, Study Finds

Face recognition difficulties in Alzheimer’s patients have typically been attributed to underlying episodic and semantic memory impairment. Dr. Sven Joubert, Ph.D., from the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, and colleagues have found that more than causing memory problems, Alzheimer’s also impairs visual face perception, a…