NGF and Alzheimer's: hopes and fears

Article Abstract:

One of the pathological consequences of Alzheimer's disease is the degeneration of neurons, or nerve cells, within the brain. Working on the assumption that this degeneration may be responsible for the loss of mental function in Alzheimer's patients, some scientists are hoping to find a method for reversing or at least slowing this degeneration. One possibility is treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF), a substance that is necessary for the growth and development of certain specific types of neurons, and which appears to play a role in the maintenance and protection of others. But while clinical testing of NGF as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease may begin soon, there is far from universal agreement that testing is a good thing. Some researchers point out that growing neurons cannot make the connections necessary for brain function and learning, and that growing neurons may in fact contribute to the ultimate loss of neurons. Perhaps to most sobering warning comes from researchers who have demonstrated that nerve growth factor stimulates the gene which makes beta-amyloid, the primary component of the senile plaques observed in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. These researchers fear that NGF may hasten the disease process itself, and warn that clinical trials are premature given the present state of understanding. Although Alzheimer's disease is a serious problem, afflicting over four million people in the United States alone, clinical testing of NGF is not like ordinary drug development. In the words of NGF researcher Franz Hefti, "No one wants to make a mistake now." (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Complications and side effects, Presenile dementia, Nerve growth factor

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Searching for drugs that combat Alzheimer's

Article Abstract:

As the population ages, as many as 14 million cases of Alzheimer's Disease are likely by 2050, but recent drug research provides hope that the affliction could one day be treated. Theories about the causes of Alzheimer's and the therapies they suggest are discussed.

Reports, Drug therapy, Anti-Alzheimer's disease agents, Pharmaceutical research

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The T cell receptor begins to reveal its many facets

Article Abstract:

Research on T cell receptors indicates that the receptors are capable of producing a range of responses and that their operation is more complex than previously believed. Research on activation and possible clinical applications of the discoveries are discussed.

T cell antigen receptors, T cells, Immune response, Immune response regulation

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