Experimental Alzheimer's drug shows promise

A RECENT study has shown how an experimental drug developed by neurodegenerative disorder research company Prana Biotechnology can restore cognition in Alzheimer’s sufferers through the repair of their brains.

The findings explain an improvement in cognition which was previously reported in tests conducted on transgenic Alzheimer’s mice and patients involved in Prana’s clinical trial of the drug known as PBT2.

News on the development of PBT2 comes as Dementia Awareness Week draws to a close and the funding struggles of dementia research take centre stage.

Prana Biotechnology executive chairman Geoffrey Kempler said the research data, which was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurochemistry, added significantly to information on PBT2 published by the same journal last March.

“The March article described what PBT2 does in the brain – it directly restores neurons,” Kempler said.

“This new article details how the mechanism of action works and brings cognitive improvement.”

The study’s findings come as the company is about to start two clinical studies, one on Alzheimer’s and one on Huntington’s disease.

Prana head of research Dr Robert Cherny said the drug provided a combination of detoxification and neuronal restoration to bring about cognitive improvement in patients.

PBT2 delivers neurologically active metals including copper and zinc into neurons damaged by Alzheimer’s disease.

Restoring the balance of these essential metals is thought to be beneficial to Alzheimer’s disease.

The published data shows delivery of the metals triggers intracellular molecular pathways that lead to improved cognition.

The results show that PBT2 liberates copper and zinc trapped in certain protein deposits.

The experimental drug then returns the metals to neurons where they assist in normal functioning. This in turn leads to rapid improvements in cognition.