New target used for Alzheimer's vaccine

New research has suggested some targets for a new vaccine against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have said.

Researchers at Georgia Health Sciences University are looking at an accomplice to the protein that causes plaque build-up in Alzheimer's disease as the focus of a potential new treatment.

This accomplice is known as RAGE, or receptor for advanced glycation endproducts, and is known to bind proteins to amyloid and transport them to the brain.

In people with the neurodegenerative condition, the amyloid protein can gather in the brain instead of being eradicated by the body's natural defences.

Amyloid and the way it gets to the brain could be the target for a new vaccine, according to researchers.

Researcher Scott Webster said that so far, all Alzheimer's vaccines have failed when it came to using them in clinical trials.

"Part of the reason why could be that they're just not comprehensive enough. Most only target amyloid. Our hope is that by taking a more encompassing approach, we will be more effective. So far, that's exactly what we're seeing in our experiments," he said.

Find the nearest Barchester nursing home.