The drug has been successfully tested against all diseases of the brain
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago have been able 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 are already patented by scientists) is designed to protect the brain from the devastating effects of inflammation. The results of the early stages of clinical trials are not yet known, but animal experiments have shown that treatment can be effective against a variety of brain diseases, including motor neuronal diseases and complications of craniocerebral trauma.
These agents work by preventing the production of cytokines in large quantities (kill nerve cells and damage the connections in the brain). Scientists note that mice that were genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer's disease did not develop an ailment after taking the drug at 6 months of age (during this period, the concentration of cytokines increases). According to them, in humans this will mean that the remedy should be started 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 level of cytokines in mice treated with the drug was normal, compared to rodents that did not use the remedy. They had an excessively high content of cytokines and a deterioration in brain function.
"The drug protects against damage caused by learning disabilities and memory, and its use before the onset of signs of Alzheimer's disease at a later stage can help in the treatment of the disease," says one of the authors of the study, Dr. Linda Van Eldick, director of the Sanders Brown aging center. University of Kentucky (Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky).