Early research - taxanes for Alzheimer's?
Preclinical animal work suggests that paclitaxel may have beneficial effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research used mice bred to develop an AD-like condition with pathological effects similar to those of AD. They were given paclitaxel once a week in two different doses for twelve weeks. Compared to untreated animals, those receiving paclitaxel showed less impairment of neuronal function and reduced disease symptoms. The authors suggest that it may be possible to move quickly to clinical trials because drugs of this type are already established in therapy, however it will be necessary to develop molecules that cross the blood-brain barrier effectively.
BBC News report; and University media brief:
the research will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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