The hope is to spur the immune system to action to block the buildup of harmful material in the brain, and/or to clean it up.
Dr. Gus Alva, principal investigator at Hoag, agrees. “This is probably as exciting as it gets,” he said. “Everything about this trial is groundbreaking — a vaccine that might actually helpAlzheimer’s is the No. 3 cause of death in Orange County, and there are some 84,000 people in O.C. living with, or at risk of developing, the condition, according to county statistics and the Alzheimer’s Orange County association.
Hoag is the only trial site in California. It’s hoping to enroll about a dozen people. For more information, call 949-764-6797 or emailAlzheimer’s is characterized by abnormal deposits of proteins throughout the brain, impairing the function of once-healthy neurons. It’s the No. 3 cause of death in Orange County. About 84,000 people in O.C. are either living with, or at risk of developing, the condition, according to county statistics and the Alzheimer’s Orange County association.
“Up until now, AD therapeutics have mostly focused on treating the underlying pathology after the disease has taken hold. However, once pathology begins and neurons are damaged, it becomes impossible to stop the disease,” the Institute for Molecular Medicine explained last year“Current data suggest that a preventive vaccine administered before disease onset could inhibit aggregation and significantly delay AD.