A Step Forward Fighting Amyloid Plaque

Amyloid plaque is something that can be found on the damaged brain cells of individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes. Although the nature of the relationship between amyloid plaque, which is a type of protein, and these diseases is not fully known, it is believed that these diseases can be treated and slowed if amyloid progression is slowed. Unfortunately, no great method of doing so has been discovered yet.

 

Many researchers believe that an antibody approach to treating these diseases is what’s going to be most effective, but the exciting thing about this new treatment method is that it has the potential to be easier to administer and will likely be much cheaper, too. This is still a long way away from turning into an effective and practical treatment method, but it is looking more and more like a reality every day.

 

There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and effective therapies for inhibiting the spread of amyloid plaques of any sort are not yet available. Great growth has been seen in lab models, but this hasn’t translated into helping humans yet. Whether or not this will happen in the near future is not quite clear, but it is certainly the hope of doctors everywhere that this will happen.

 

One group of scientists is currently working with a new class of macrocyclic peptides that shows great potential to slow down the spread of amyloid plaques. Led by Dr. Aphrodite Kapurniotu, researchers out of the Technical University of Munich have made some big steps when it comes to working with those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and the amyloid plaque that is a hallmark of the disease. They claim that this new medication is stable in human blood plasma and can safely pass through the blood-brain barrier to effectively treat the plaque that builds up in and on brain cells. There’s still a long way to go before this treatment could potentially be used on humans, but this is an important first step. As of right now, the treatment has only been conducted in a test tube setting.

 

Amyloid plaque is the hallmark trait of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers are getting closer to learning how to treat it.

 

Many people are surprised to find that Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s are so closely related in their nature. In fact, in some medical circles Alzheimer’s is sometimes referred to as Type 3 diabetes. Even though the physical symptoms are very different, these two disease look and act very similar on some levels.

 

Having a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another chronic degenerative disease is never easy. It requires a lot of time and compassion on your part, along with sacrifices in other aspects of your life. If you are looking for a way to help give an elderly loved one a better quality of life, and ease some of your burden while doing so, please contact us. Located in the San Francisco Area, Paradise In-Home Care specializes in helping elderly individuals live better lives. We know how tough this is on families, and hopefully we can improve the lives of you and your other family members, too.

 

The post A Step Forward Fighting Amyloid Plaque appeared first on Paradise In-Home Care.