Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 46th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Aβ vaccine therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Hideo Hara, M.D.

Department of vascular dementia research, National Institute for Longevity Sciences, NCGG

In 1999, Schenk et al reported that vaccination of PDAPP-transgenic mice with synthetic Aβ 42 in complete Freund's adjuvant showed markedly decrease of the amyloid burden in the brain. The second trial of vaccine, AN1792, for Alzheimer's patients was halted because of meningoencephalitis found in 6% of patients and one autopsy case was reported. Here, we comment the methods and the immunological mechanisms of Aβ vaccine therapy and discuss the pathological changes in the brain and side effects after AN1792 treatment. Furthermore, we present an oral Aβ vaccine therapy for Alzheimer's disease with the recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector that we developed.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 867|869, 2005)
key words: vaccine, amyloid β-protein, anti-Aβ antibody, senile plaques, APP transgenic mouse

(Received: 25-May-05)