Advances in Alzheimer Disease Research

Pharmaceutical Research publishes a theme with eight articles that support potential new therapies to treat Alzheimer disease.

One in ten people age 65 and older had Alzheimer disease (AD) in 2017, estimates the Alzheimer’s Association.¹ While many other major causes of death in the United States have decreased over the past few decades, such as heart disease, stroke, influenza, and pneumonia, mortality has increased for AD.²

As noted by David Brambilla in his recently published Pharmaceutical Research editorial Drug discovery, development and delivery in Alzheimer’s disease, “this data reflect on one hand an increased awareness (proportion of death listing AD as the underlying cause), on the other, they highlight an overall pharmaceutical stagnation and the still unmet medical need, that likely originate from the complex and multifaceted nature of the disease.”³

A recent Pharmaceutical Research theme,⁴ guest edited by Brambilla, addresses the unmet medical need by providing research and expert review articles to advance AD therapies.

Adding to a recent trend, off-label drug use may be beneficial in treating AD. Previous literature connects AD with diabetes, and one paper in the theme analyzes the use of metformine, a diabetes type-2 treatment, to treat AD. A separate paper supports the use of verapamil against the phosphorylation of tau, which is thought to be part of AD progression.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a constant struggle with Alzheimer therapies. A research paper in the theme investigates several transporters in mouse models to help determine the best model available. Another paper describes an intranasal micro-emulsion formulation to combat the BBB as a therapy for AD.

Other papers describe research and advances in areas such as using aggregation modifiers for treatment of AD; targeting the low-density lipoprotein receptor -related protein 1, which is frequently associated with AD; and the use of a radical scavenger and an antioxidant as potential therapeutic models for AD.

Brambilla concludes his editorial for the theme by expressing that “[the authors] are confident that this Issue gives an interesting and clear overview of the field, and wish you a good read.”

Read articles in this Pharmaceutical Research theme and build upon the authors’ exploration to help in the fight against AD.

REFERENCES

1. 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures webpage. Alzheimer’s Association website. Accessed February 6, 2018.
2. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health, United States, 2016. Accessed February 6, 2018.
3. Brambilla D. Drug discovery, development and delivery in Alzheimer’s disease. Pharm Res. 2018;35(3). doi: 10.1007/s11095-017-2329-6
4. Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery in Alzheimer’s Disease. Pharm Res.  Accessed February 8, 2018.