A major Alzheimer's breakthrough may have been made as new vaccine is being trialled which could 'transform' lives, scientists have said.
People who have the early stages of the condition could be eligible for the jab which is likely to be available within five years. It is designed to remove toxic proteins from the brain before they become damaging.
After going through clinical trials scientists say it could prevent future generations from being affected by Alzheimer’s or watching the health of loved ones get worse. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and affects around 540,000 people in the UK. This figure is expected to rise to 960,000 by 2040.
The condition can lead to a gradual decline in memory, thinking and ability to function. The Express reports a former senior police officer who developed the disease last year and is involved in the phase two trials says his life has been “transformed” after just three jabs.
West End star Ruthie Henshall, 57, whose late mother Gloria had dementia, says the jab could be a “miracle” for sufferers. The mother-of-two said: “A drug would be a miracle because there are enormous numbers of people with dementia and it's on the rise because we're living longer.
“This drug could be the hope people have been dreaming of - up there with finding the cure for cancer.”
Studies of the vaccine to prevent the degenerative brain disorder are being carried out in five centres across the UK, including at Oxford and Cambridge universities and centres in Europe and the US. The UK trials are backed by the government’s National Institute for Health and Care Research.
A conference in Philadelphia in the US in July will see the first results where experts will show images of brain scans showing the effect of the new vaccine on the brain.
The drug, known as ACI-24, stimulates the body’s immune system to target these toxic amyloid proteins and clear them from the brain.
The trials will involve 140 people with signs of early stage disease identified by brain scans. If successful scientists hope they will eventually be able to offer the vaccine to people as a preventative measure before any signs of the disease have shown.
Dr Shahid Zaman, an Alzheimer’s expert at Cambridge University, said: “This is so important and exciting especially for the Down syndrome population who have a gene which overproduces this toxic amyloid protein putting them at very high risk of this disease. We finally have something that targets the amyloid protein and clears it. We can be very optimistic this vaccine will prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.”
He added: “Alzheimer’s can take decades of time before symptoms appear due to a build up of damage. For over a decade drug companies have put millions of pounds into drugs to target the amyloid plaques in the brain, but previous drugs have been shown to have awful side effects including brain bleeds. While this vaccine still has some side effects they are far less. I am very excited.”
Dementia expert Dr Emer MacSweeney, CEO and medical director of Re:Cognition Health, which is involved in the trial, said: “The potential for a new vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease is very exciting and could be a massive breakthrough.”
Dr Andrea Pfeifer, chief executive of AC Immune, the company which has developed the new therapy, said: “This could absolutely be a game-changer.
“This could ultimately treat a population of hundreds of millions of people who develop this terrible disease which causes so much suffering to patients and their loved ones.”