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A drug has been successfully tested for all brain diseases
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Scientists from Northwestern University in Chicago have managed to develop a drug that can be used to treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, The Telegraph writes.
A new class of oral drugs (MW151 and MW189 have already been patented by the scientists) is designed to protect the brain from the destructive effects of inflammation. Results from early-stage clinical trials are not yet known, but animal experiments have shown that the treatment may be effective against a range of brain diseases, including motor neuron disease and complications of traumatic brain injury.
These drugs work by preventing the production of cytokines in large quantities (they kill nerve cells and damage connections in the brain). Scientists note that mice that were genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer's disease did not develop the disease after taking the drug from the age of 6 months (during this period the concentration of cytokines increases). According to them, in humans this will mean that the drug should be taken when the first symptoms appear, for example, memory loss.
When the rodents reached 11 months of age, the experts analyzed their brains. It was found that the cytokine levels in the mice that received the drug were normal, compared to the rodents that did not use the drug. They had excessively high levels of cytokines and a deterioration in brain function.
"The drug protects against damage associated with learning and memory impairment. Taking it before signs of late-stage Alzheimer's disease appear may help treat the disease," said study co-author Dr. Linda Van Eldik, director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky.