What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Scientists aren’t absolutely sure what causes cell death and tissue loss in the Alzheimer's brain, but the plaques and tangles are prime suspects.

Does Memory Loss Always Mean Dementia?

Dementia is a broad category of symptoms that affect the brain and causes memory loss.

Early onset Alzheimer's

Although, Alzheimer’s is viewed as a disease of the elderly, up to 5% of Americans with Alzheimer’s have the early-onset variety, which can start to show symptoms as early as one’s 30s.

Showing posts with label Medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medicine. Show all posts

Sunday, July 15, 2018

New implantable capsule for Alzheimer’s prevention


implantable capsule for Alzheimer’s prevention
In a breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment, scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed an implantable capsule that works by turning the patient's immune system against the disease. The lab of Patrick Aebischer at EPFL developed this bioactive capsule which contains cells that have been genetically engineered to produce antibodies against amyloid-β.

When German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer described Alzheimer’s disease for the first time in 1906, he brought to light the presence of two types of lesions in the brain – Senile plaques and Neurofibrillary tangles. Senile plaques are caused by over-accumulation of the protein Amyloid beta (amyloid-β) in different parts of the brain.

The capsule, when implanted under the skin, releases antibodies that travel to the brain and activate the patient's immune system to clear beta-amyloid protein.


Scientists have long been looking for ways to tackle these plaques, and they discovered one of the most promising ways to fight it is to “tag” the beta-amyloid proteins with antibodies that signal the immune system to attack and destroy them, before they can form plaques.

In the latest study, Mr. Aebischer of the Brain Mind Institute at EPFL and colleagues note that such a treatment needs to be administered in the early stages of memory loss in order to be most effective. The procedure requires repeat injections, which could have adverse effects.

They say their new implantable capsule could offer a safer and highly effectual alternative.

The capsule, described as a "macroencapsulation device," is made of two permeable membranes sealed together with a polypropylene frame. The device is 27 mm in length, 12 mm wide and 1.2 mm thick. It comprises cells taken from genetically engineered muscle tissue that can produce high levels of antibodies that are able to recognize and target beta-amyloid proteins in the brain.

The cells inside the capsule are made not only to be able to produce antibodies, but also to be compatible with patient, in order to not trigger the immune system against them, like a transplant can. This is where the capsule’s membranes come into play. The permeable membranes of the capsules allow the cells to soak up all the nutrients and molecules they need from surrounding tissue.

When the capsule is implantedin tissue under the skin, it gradually releases the antibodies into the bloodstream. The antibodies then travel from blood to the brain to track down and tag beta-amyloid
The device was successfully tested on mice which showed great success. The mice used were a genetic line of mice that is commonly used to replicate Alzheimer’s disease. The test showed substantial reduction of amyloid-β plaque load.

Verily, over a period of 39 weeks, the capsules produced a constant flow of antibodies, which prevented the formation of amyloid-β plaques in the brain. The treatment also decreased the amount of phosphorylation of the protein tau seen in mice. Tau protein is also believed to play a role in Alzheimer's development by forming "tangles" – another hallmark of the disease.

The proof-of-concept study has been hailed as a landmark. The researchers say it clearly demonstrated that implantable capsules can be used safely and successfully to deliver antibodies in treating Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases that feature defective proteins.