Diabetes drug hope for Alzheimer’s fight

AN experimental drug being developed for diabetes is being investigated by Australian scientists as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne is testing the drug in mice hoping it can reduce symptoms or slow the disease’s progression.

The formation of amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain are believed to be behind its degeneration and the aim of this trial is to see if the drug can remove them. The trial drug increases a type of heat shock protein in the body, which occurs naturally and works to repair, refold and remove unwanted proteins.

“There has been some evidence that the heat shock proteins can alleviate some of the build up of those two unwanted proteins in the brain,” Dr Darren Henstridge said.

“We have access to an investigational drug that was first used at the Institute in 2007 and since has been trialled clinically in humans for it’s ability to improve blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.”

The benefit of this drug was that it had already been shown to be safe for use in humans.

“If we can show this drug helps delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in our preclinical models, we will then have the basis to fast-track the drug for clinical trials,” Dr Henstridge said.