July 15, 2004

hi all

NEW ALZHERIMER'S TREATMENT METHODS PATENTED NEW ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT METHODS PATENTED Elan Corporation and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' joint venture, Neuralab Limited, has been issued three patents for its research on immunotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. U.S. Patent Number 6,750,324, entitled "Humanized and chimeric N-terminal amyloid beta-antibodies," claims pharmaceutical compositions comprising an antibody that specifically binds to a region within the beta amyloid molecule. According to the abstract of the invention: The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with amyloid deposits [i.e. a protein aggregation] of A.beta. in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the amyloid deposit. The methods are useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Preferred agents including N-terminal fragments of A.beta. and antibodies binding to the same. U.S. Patent Numbers 6,743,427 and 6,761,888, entitled "Prevention and treatment of amyloidogenic disease" and "Passive immunization treatment of Alzheimer's disease" respectively, claim methods of prophylactically or therapeutically treating Alzheimer's disease, including the administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising an antibody that specifically binds to a region within the beta amyloid molecule. In layman's terms, a patient is injected with an antibody (from Wikipedia: "An antibody is a protein complex used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects like bacteria and viruses.") that binds to a specific region within the amyloid molecule within the brain. Once the antibody binds the amyloid molecule, the patient's own immune system can attack and destroy the amyloid deposit and/or bind with precursor proteins and block the production of the amyloid deposits.

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