Transdermal Approach: Safe & Effective Alzheimer’s Treatment

Researchers from The University of South Florida have determined that a transdermal approach in clearing Beta-Amyloid Protein plaques in mice is both safe and effective. Previous attempts to clear the plaques through alternate means (injectable vaccines) have resulted in complications due to severe immune reactions such as brain inflammation and death in several patients.

This new vaccine works by applying the vaccine over a region of skin which then forces the immune system to recognize and attack beta-amyloid but does not trigger the toxicities that arose with past injection strategies. Thus, this technique is very beneficial to treating Alzheimer’s disease because it has shown to reduce certain cognitive deficits and other Alzheimer pathology without the severe effects of its predecessors.

I thought this was an interesting article because Alzheimer's disease was the issue that my nanobot from last semester was aimed at treating. At this time last semester, this information was not published and drug treatment was still being administered using the fatal injection technique. It was definitely good to see that progress is being made in Alzheimer's research.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070123-11474300-bc-us-alzheimers.xml