Scientists from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), University Hospitals, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center have reported a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research. Their research consisted of injecting laboratory mice with a compound named P7C3-A20. This revolutionary treatment not only completely prevented Alzheimer’s from developing, but reversed the disease even in those in advanced stages.
The studies targeted a group of genetically engineered laboratory mice that were developed to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Two distinct cohorts of these mice were used: one group carried mutations associated with amyloid proteins, while the other group had mutations linked to tau proteins. When only two months old, the initial cohort of mice were given the first injections of P7C3-A20. This treatment curely stopped them from ever getting Alzheimer’s disease.
In a subsequent, more developed phase of the research, the scientists administered P7C3-A20 via injection to a set of test mice. These mice, then just six months of age, had to this point developed very progressive Alzheimer’s. Almost unbelievably, these mice were able to make a full functional return of their cognitive capacities following treatment with the compound.
Andrew A. Pieper, principal investigator of the study Andrew Pieper, M.D., Ph. As a professor of neuroscience, he doesn’t mince words in discussing the importance of these discoveries. He focused particularly on the need to restore NAD+ levels back to homeostasis in the brains of lab mice with end-stage Alzheimer’s. This habitat restoration is an important step for their recovery.
“Restoring the brain’s energy balance achieved pathological and functional recovery in both lines of mice with advanced Alzheimer’s. Seeing this effect in two very different animal models, each driven by different genetic causes, strengthens the new idea that recovery from advanced disease might be possible in people with AD when the brain’s NAD+ balance is restored.” – Andrew A. Pieper
The implications of this research are profound. If similar results can be achieved in human subjects, it may shift the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease from a terminal diagnosis to a manageable condition. The findings suggest that, given the right circumstances, there is potential for a compromised brain to heal itself. Yet it still has the potential to restore its purpose.
“The key takeaway is a message of hope — the effects of Alzheimer’s disease may not be inevitably permanent. The damaged brain can, under some conditions, repair itself and regain function.” – Andrew A. Pieper
Tara Spires-Jones, an Alzheimer’s researcher and neuroscience professor at the University of Edinburgh, said the research could be transformative. She was not directly involved in conducting the research. She’s convinced that scientists are closer than ever to creating a “truly life-changing” treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Release of the study has created tremendous buzz among the scientific community. That’s a really big deal — scientific breakthrough — for us to understand how certain compounds are affecting Alzheimer’s pathology. The scientists focused on P7C3-A20’s potency in two separate animal models. We were surprised that each model had a different genetic cause, but this raises the hope of trying similar therapies on humans.
