Antibodies that can remove toxic protein plaques in the brains of mice may lead to treatments that halt the brain damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

This was the conclusion that researchers came to after investigating antibodies that target the apolipoprotein E (APOE) protein in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the antibodies that they tested halved levels of toxic plaques in the mice’s brains.

The researchers also suggest that because the antibodies only target the APOE protein in the plaques, not the plaques themselves, they would likely only cause a small immune reaction.

A large immune response, however, can inflame the brain.

The researchers report their findings in a paper about to be published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Source: Medical News Today