Alzheimer's disease: is a vaccine possible?

Abstract

The cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unknown, but the disease is distinctively characterized by the accumulation of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. These features have become the primary focus of much of the research looking for new treatments for the disease, including immunotherapy and vaccines targeting β-amyloid in the brain. Adverse effects observed in a clinical trial based on the β-amyloid protein were attributed to the presence of the target antigen and emphasized the relevance of finding safer antigen candidates for active immunization. For this kind of approach, different vaccine formulations using DNA, peptide, and heterologous prime-boost immunization regimens have been proposed. Promising results are expected from different vaccine candidates encompassing B-cell epitopes of the β-amyloid protein. In addition, recent results indicate that targeting another protein involved in the etiology of the disease has opened new perspectives for the effective prevention of the illness. Collectively, the evidence indicates that the idea of finding an effective vaccine for the control of Alzheimer's disease, although not without challenges, is a possibility.

Exploring the Efficacy of Anti-amyloid-β Therapeutics in Treating Alzheimer Disease

“…The first hypothesis (1) involves the direct action of anti-Aβ antibodies against Aβ oligomers, protofibrils, fibrils, or Aβ plaques, where the binding destabilised these aggregate species [17]. Secondly, (2) the involvement of microglia-mediated by fragment crystallizable (Fc) receptors which initiates phagocytosis of Aβ and complement activation [85]. Lastly, (3) the 'peripheral sink' hypothesis suggests that amyloid equilibrium through the BBB is changed following free concentrations of Aβ in the blood.…”