Re: Tau Protein Spreads Like Virus in AD

[Guest guest]

Hi Robin,

It was on the evening news - the commentator mentioned that they are still 5

years away from developing something that might be ready for testing - but it's

an important find!

Regards,

Helene

>

> Yesterday I posted this news to the LBDA Forum, and noted that " this seems

like important news. " Looks like my guess was right because I'm getting lots of

emails from organizations spreading the news today.

>

> Here are excerpts:

>

> " But for more than a quarter-century, researchers have been unable to decide

between two explanations. One is that the spread may mean that the disease is

transmitted from neuron to neuron, perhaps along the paths that nerve cells use

to communicate with one another. Or it could simply mean that some brain areas

are more resilient than others and resist the disease longer. The new studies

provide an answer. And they indicate it may be possible to bring Alzheimer's

disease to an abrupt halt early on by preventing cell-to-cell transmission,

perhaps with an antibody that blocks tau. "

>

> " The question of which hypothesis was correct — tau spreading cell to cell, or

a bad neighborhood in the brain and cells with different vulnerabilities to it —

remained unanswerable. Dr. Hyman said he tried for 25 years to find a good way

to address it. "

>

> " He and others are also asking if other degenerative diseases spread through

the brain because proteins pass from nerve cell to nerve cell. Dr. Hardy thought

he saw provocative human evidence that it might be happening in Parkinson's

disease. "

>

> Robin

>

>

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/health/research/alzheimers-spreads-like-a-viru\

s-in-the-brain-studies-find.html?_r=1

>

> February 1, 2012

> Faulty Protein Is Like a Virus in Alzheimer's

> By Kolata

> New York Times

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Robin,

It was on the evening news - the commentator mentioned that they are still 5

years away from developing something that might be ready for testing - but it's

an important find!

Regards,

Helene

>

> Yesterday I posted this news to the LBDA Forum, and noted that " this seems

like important news. " Looks like my guess was right because I'm getting lots of

emails from organizations spreading the news today.

>

> Here are excerpts:

>

> " But for more than a quarter-century, researchers have been unable to decide

between two explanations. One is that the spread may mean that the disease is

transmitted from neuron to neuron, perhaps along the paths that nerve cells use

to communicate with one another. Or it could simply mean that some brain areas

are more resilient than others and resist the disease longer. The new studies

provide an answer. And they indicate it may be possible to bring Alzheimer's

disease to an abrupt halt early on by preventing cell-to-cell transmission,

perhaps with an antibody that blocks tau. "

>

> " The question of which hypothesis was correct — tau spreading cell to cell, or

a bad neighborhood in the brain and cells with different vulnerabilities to it —

remained unanswerable. Dr. Hyman said he tried for 25 years to find a good way

to address it. "

>

> " He and others are also asking if other degenerative diseases spread through

the brain because proteins pass from nerve cell to nerve cell. Dr. Hardy thought

he saw provocative human evidence that it might be happening in Parkinson's

disease. "

>

> Robin

>

>

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/health/research/alzheimers-spreads-like-a-viru\

s-in-the-brain-studies-find.html?_r=1

>

> February 1, 2012

> Faulty Protein Is Like a Virus in Alzheimer's

> By Kolata

> New York Times

>

[Guest guest]

There are currently tests being run on two experimental medications targeting

tau in the PSP community but these medications are designed for dealing with the

protein tau after PSP has already been diagnosed, which is pretty late in the

game.

We are probably 10 years away (at least) from testing experimental medications

in humans that address tau at earlier stages.

Why are the researchers testing these medications in PSP (progressive

supranuclear palsy) rather than AD? So glad you asked... PSP, like Alzheimer's

Disease, is a disorder of the protein tau. Because one form of PSP (RS) has a

high rate of diagnostic accuracy, because PSP involves only one protein while

Alzheimer's involves two proteins (tau and amyloid), and because the decline in

PSP is far more rapid than the decline in AD, drug companies and researchers

want to conduct experimental drug trials in PSP. Obviously they are hoping that

these same drugs will eventually help Alzheimer's Disease.

>

> Hi Robin,

> It was on the evening news - the commentator mentioned that they are still 5

years away from developing something that might be ready for testing - but it's

an important find!

>

> Regards,

> Helene

>

>

[Guest guest]

There are currently tests being run on two experimental medications targeting

tau in the PSP community but these medications are designed for dealing with the

protein tau after PSP has already been diagnosed, which is pretty late in the

game.

We are probably 10 years away (at least) from testing experimental medications

in humans that address tau at earlier stages.

Why are the researchers testing these medications in PSP (progressive

supranuclear palsy) rather than AD? So glad you asked... PSP, like Alzheimer's

Disease, is a disorder of the protein tau. Because one form of PSP (RS) has a

high rate of diagnostic accuracy, because PSP involves only one protein while

Alzheimer's involves two proteins (tau and amyloid), and because the decline in

PSP is far more rapid than the decline in AD, drug companies and researchers

want to conduct experimental drug trials in PSP. Obviously they are hoping that

these same drugs will eventually help Alzheimer's Disease.

>

> Hi Robin,

> It was on the evening news - the commentator mentioned that they are still 5

years away from developing something that might be ready for testing - but it's

an important find!

>

> Regards,

> Helene

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Robin,

Thanks for the extra information! You are incredible!

Helene

> >

> > Hi Robin,

> > It was on the evening news - the commentator mentioned that they are still 5

years away from developing something that might be ready for testing - but it's

an important find!

> >

> > Regards,

> > Helene

> >

> >

>