Immunotherapy in alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent proteopathy characterized by dementia that appeals for major concern worldwide. The causative factor is the imbalance between production and clearance of the toxic Aβ peptide (40-43 amino acid long) from the brain. Among all the therapeutic approaches, the most prominent one is immunotherapy. Both active and passive immunotherapies have been worked upon. The majority of active immunization-based methods suffered risks of autoimmune toxic inflammation due to cross-reactivity with the nontoxic form. However, conventional monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based strategies have been designed to reduce Aβ level in brain and neutralize toxic effects. A multitude of clinical trials are being conducted using the passive therapeutic approach. Recently, alternative approaches including the recombinant fragments have emerged as a tool for safer and more effective therapy. Promising results have been observed in studies employing antibody fragments which include ScFv, BsAb, Fab, gammabodies, and intrabodies. Although there have been failures in some of these clinical trials, experiences gained from them can be used for designing better therapeutics. Currently, there is an urgent need of therapeutics which can target and clear off the senile plaques with limited side effects and toxicity.