An experimental drug has shown promise in preventing Alzheimer’s for people at higher risk of developing the disease.
That’s according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where researchers ran a clinical trial of people with rare genetic mutations that almost “guarantee” future Alzheimer’s development, according to a press release.
The study included 73 people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have the mutation, which causes an overproduction of amyloid in the brain.
Amyloid is a protein that builds up in the brain and can interfere with cognitive function. It’s one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
All participants had no (or very mild) cognitive decline, had a family history of Alzheimer’s, and were within 15 years before and 10 years after their expected age of developing symptoms, the release stated.
For 22 of the participants who received a drug called gantenerumab for eight years, their risk of developing symptoms was cut in half — from 100% to 50% — the researchers reported.
The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Neurology on March 19.
How does the experimental drug for Alzheimer’s works
Gantenerumab, a monoclonal antibody designed to target and remove amyloid plaques in the brain, was in development by Roche in Switzerland and its US affiliate, Genentech.
Development was stopped in 2023, however, after Roche/Genentech’s own clinical trials found that the drug did not meet their “primary endpoint” for slowing cognitive decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, according to the release.
“Everyone in this study was destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease and some of them haven’t yet,” said Randall J. Bateman, M.D., the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine in a release.
“We don’t yet know how long they will remain symptom-free – maybe a few years or maybe decades. In order to give them the best opportunity to stay cognitively normal, we have continued treatment with another anti-amyloid antibody in hopes they will never develop symptoms at all,” he went on.
“What we do know is that it’s possible to at least delay the onset of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and give people more years of healthy life.”
The hope is that if late-onset Alzheimer’s trials have similar results, prevention methods could ultimately be available to the general population, according to Bateman.
“I am highly optimistic now, as this could be the first clinical evidence of what will become preventions for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.
“One day soon, we may be delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for millions.”
Howard Fillit, M.D., co-founder and chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation in New York, noted that the study shows for the first time that early treatment to clear the plaques before symptoms arise can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s — “similar to how we treat and prevent other chronic diseases.
Related: Scientists Restore Key Alzheimer’s Pathway in Breakthrough Discovery