A vaccine has been developed that both prevents and reverses Alzheimer’s disease in animals.
Adam Rifkin stashed this in Alzheimer's
Stashed in: Awesome, Medicine, Alzheimer's
At the moment, the problem with the experimental vaccine is not making sure the vaccine works on humans, but ensuring that it is strong enough to actually make a difference in a patient’s health.
Top Reddit comment:
To blunt this finding a bit, I will say that for a while now (maybe a decade? or longer?) there has been discussion of treatments to block AB plaques, with varied success in alleviating symptoms. It bears reminding readers that one of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative disease is the formation of aberrant protein plaques, and there is a lot of research suggesting that these plaques are the result of other underlying issues, not the cause of the disease itself.
Needless to say prevention of plaque formation may be a positive step towards a treatment, but keep in mind that plaque formation may be a multifaceted issue/aspect of this disease. If plaque formation is a result of the disease, not the cause of the disease, this prevention may not be a total cure. Of course, any treatment with positive cognitive effects is something worth pursuing, but lets not presume to stop the search just yet!
Another 700 Reddit comments:
https://reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/4slt6v/alzheimers_breakthrough_vaccine_developed_by/
11:47 PM Aug 03 2016