Alzheimer's In Mice Goes Away With Help Of This New Cancer Drug

New findings published in the journal Annals of Neurology have shown that the brain cells of mice with a model of Alzheimer's were given an experimental cancer drug that restored their memory.

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine developed the drug, AZD05030, that's proved disappointing in the treatment of solid tumors. However, according to Astra Zenca, the official creator, they worked on human trials to test the efficacy of it in Alzheimer's patients.

"With this treatment, cells under bombardment by beta amyloid plaques show restored synaptic connections and reduced inflammation, and the animal's memory, which was lost during the course of the disease, comes back," said Stephen M. Strittmatter, the Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology and senior author of the study, in a news release. 

Scientists are continually working to gain an understanding of the Alzheimer's disease as they uncover new drugs and treatments that may aid in the neurodegenerative health issue. With this new drug in particular, it works by blocking one of the molecular steps that leads up to the disease, activation of the enzyme FYN that leads to the loss of synaptic connections between brain cells. Several other steps in the disease process may also lead to the potential for targets of new drugs.

"The speed with which this compound moved to human trials validates our New Therapeutic Uses program model and serves our mission to deliver more treatments to more patients more quickly," concluded Christopher P. Austin, M.D., director of NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which funded the work.