Can the medicine prevent Alzheimer’s disease for decades before it happens?

A clinical trial has just started, which can take decades to complete completely, but there may be results that change life. Researchers are testing a medicine to clear Alzheimer’s plaque in young people who are genetically destined to develop a devastating brain disorder.

Researchers at the Medical University of Washington lead explorationWho tests an experimental antibody developed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lily. The drug is given to people 18 years of age who are at high risk of early Alzheimer’s early onset. Although it can take up to 25 years to know if these drugs can work as they hoped, it will take a lot of time to get some valuable idea of ​​Alzheimer’s nature, the researchers say.

The medicine used in the test is called Redternetug. He is intended to be the successor of Donanemab of Eli Lily (brand Kisunla) who was approved For the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease in July 2024, Donanemab, Remetel and similar drugs are trying to treat Alzheimer’s by targeting an incorrectly folded version of the beta of amyloid protein. In people with Alzheimer’s, this improperly folded amyloid beta accumulates in the brain, eventually formed in durable lumps known as plaques (another incorrectly folded protein, Tau, also plays a key role in causing Alzheimer’s).

While anti -amylloid drugs are the first approved treatments that are thought to delay Alzheimer’s progression, current therapies have only a modest effectS Amayloid plaques are known to begin to build in the brain for 20 years or more before someone begins to show signs of Alzheimer’s, however. And this has led to speculation, these drugs can be significantly more effective and could even prevent alzheimer’s entire Aim to test directly.

The study, called the primary prevention test, will record 240 people from families known to carry mutations in one of the three genes, which almost always lead to the early beginning of Alzheimer’s. It will include people who wear these mutations, as well as relatives who are not carriers who will act as a kind of control group. People have the right to be in the study if they are 11 to 25 years older than the age they are expected to develop Alzheimer’s based on their family history (usually this happens in the 30, 40 or 50 -50 – years).

The main part of the test will last for two years, with participants being randomized to receive the medicine or placebo every three months. People will then be able to openly take the medicine for four more years if they decide. Because the volunteers are so young, the researchers do not expect to see changes in their knowledge during the process. But they will be able to see if Redternetug can noticeably slow down or even stop the accumulation of amyloid plaque in people’s brains.

“My grandfather died from Alzheimer’s, as well as his mother and everyone but one of his brothers,” says 24 -year -old Hannah Richardson, a participant in the primary prevention process, in a statement Submitted by the University of Washington Medical School. “I am happy to participate in the primary prevention test and participate in research because I know how important it is.”

Researchers say it will take approximately four to five years to report the findings of the first placebo-controlled stage of the test, while the entire study is about to be completed by 2034, but they plan to monitor these patients for many People for many people years later. And the lessons we learn from this study will probably help scientists better understand both the early beginning and the classic Alzheimer’s.

“This innovative study in this special population of Alzheimer’s patients has the potential to significantly influence how we prevent Alzheimer’s disease, rescuing people and families from the grief of this fatal illness,” says Maria S. Karilo, Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, in A statement.