Scientists at Duke University discovered a new potential cause of Alzheimer's disease by observing that immune cells in Alzheimer's patients consume the nutrient arginine, contributing to plaque formation and memory loss in mice. Blocking this process with an existing cancer drug prevented plaque formation and halted memory loss in mice, providing a new potential drug target for Alzheimer's. While more testing is needed, this breakthrough finding suggests focusing research on the immune system's role and on arginine could lead to new Alzheimer's treatments.

1. Breakthrough in Alzheimer's
Scientists have broken new ground in the search for a cure, discovering
a new potential cause of the disease, which it may be possible to
target with drug treatments, writes Charlie Cooper

2. Contd..
Experts said the findings, from Duke University in North Carolina, USA, could
“open new doors“ in the increasingly frustrated global hunt for a dementia
therapy .Researchers at Duke announced that their studies of Alzheimer's in
mice had thrown up a new process they believe contributes to the disease's
development. They observed that in Alzheimer's, immune cells that normally
protect the brain instead begin to consume a vital nutrient called arginine.By
blocking this process with a drug, they were able to prevent the formation of
`plaques' in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, and also
halted memory loss in the mice.
While no technique that is tested in an animal can be guaranteed to work
the same way in humans, the findings are encouraging because, until now,
the exact role of the immune system and arginine in Alzheimer's was
completely unknown.

3. Contd..
The drug that was used to block the body's immune response
to arginine known as difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) is
already being investigated in drug trials for certain types of
cancer and may be suitable for testing as a potential
Alzheimer's therapy .
A new drug target for Alzheimer's would be hugely welcome in
a field where funding and industry's will to invest has been
waning, in spite of the growing human and economic cost of
Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The number of
people worldwide living with some form of dementia is set to
reach 135 million by 2050. However, after a string of costly
failures to bring effective drugs to market, pharmaceutical
companies are increasingly cutting funding for research.
The G8 group of nations pledged in 2013 to find a major new
dementia treatment or cure by 2025, and the Coalition
government committed the UK to doubling its contribution
toward this goal to £132m by that date.

4. Contd..
Carol Colton, professor of neurology at the Duke University, and senior author of
the new study, said that Alzheimer's research had been dominated by an attempt
to understand the role of amyloid the protein that builds up in the brain to form
plaques but that a focus on arginine and the immune system could yield new
discoveries. “We see this study opening the doors to thinking about Alzheimer's in
a completely different way, to break the stalemate of ideas in Alzheimer's disease,“
she said.
Arginine is an amino acid and an essential nutrient for several bodily processes,
including cell division, healing and immune responses.
It is found in food, including dairy products, meat, nuts and chickpeas, but the team
at Duke said their study did not suggest eating more arginine would have an impact
on Alzheimer's risk. The blood-brain barrier regulates how much arginine can enter
the brain, and the immune response that breaks down arginine would remain the
same even if confronted with higher levels of the nutrient.

5. Contd..
Their study, which is published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was led by Matthew
Kan, an MDPhD student in Professor Colton's lab.
Dr Laura Phipps, from Alzheimer's Research UK, said it was important for tests in
humans to confirm the findings. “Clinical trials are essential before any potential
new treatment can be given to people, but these early findings could open new
doors for future treatment development for Alzheimer's,“ she said.
“The study suggests that low levels of arginine in the brain could contribute to the
death of nerve cells in Alzheimer's, but there is much more we still need to
understand,“ she said.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and affects around 500,000
people in the UK. The number of people living with dementia in the country is set
to rise to above one million within 10 years, with huge costs to families, the NHS
and social care services.

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