"The animal model described in this study expands the way we might evaluate new vaccine products," said William Thies, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association vice president for medical and scientific affairs. "Vaccination against amyloid is a reasonable strategy for preventing and possibly treating Alzheimer's and this study brings us one step closer. Having more model systems that are closer to humans increases the likelihood that we can avoid the kind of side effects that we saw in the first human trial."
"Tremendous progress has been made by the National Institute on Aging, the Alzheimer's Disease Centers, universities, pharmaceutical companies and the Alzheimer's Association in understanding Alzheimer's disease. The Association's goal of delaying the disabling symptoms and eventually preventing Alzheimer's appears to be a feasible objective that the research community can achieve in the next decade," Thies added.
"Alzheimer A Vaccination of Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta)," by Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues, appears in the March 2004 issue of the journal Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders.
"This may prove to be a helpful model system for us to discover why some humans develop brain inflammation when they are vaccinated with beta amyloid," said Gandy, of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Gandy is vice chair of the Alzheimer's Association's Medical & Scientific Advisory Council.
According to Gandy, because of Rhesus monkey's genetic similarity to humans,
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Contact: Alzhiemer's Association
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Alzheimer's Association
5-Mar-2004