Immunotherapy targeting β-amyloid for Alzheimer’s disease: Research advances / 国际药学研究杂志

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs memory and cognition. The neuropathological features of the disease include neurofibrillary tangles, deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) in senile plaques and neuronal loss in affected brain regions. The amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that production and accumulation of excessive β- amyloid may be the main cause of the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Active and passive immunotherapy targeting β- amyloid may be the most promising strategy to prevent or treat AD. This review seeks to put perspective to the mixed results obtained so far in pre-clinical and clinical trials of AD vaccines and antibodies targeting β-amyloid and discusses the perspective and novel direction of successful AD immunotherapy. Novel strategies for the design of more effective therapeutic vaccines are suggested.