Australian mental health researchers have developed a once-a-day pill they believe might stop or slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease, with human trials expected within two months.
A 15-month trial on mice showed the drug called PBT2 reduced the amyloid protein, which many scientists believe causes Alzheimer's, by 60 percent within 24 hours, said researchers at The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.
The institute, which is working in collaboration with Prana Biotechnology Limited, made public its PBT2 trial results at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease held in Madrid last week.
The institute and Prana said mice that took the drug orally showed improved memory performance after four days. The institute's tests also showed that PBT2 blocked the interaction between the amyloid protein and metals such as copper and zinc in the brain, stopping the development of Alzheimer's.
By M. Sese
www.turks.us