A single-chain antibody against amyloid in Alzheimer's

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Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that clearance of amyloid-(A) plaques can slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Immunotherapy targeting A has shown promise in reducing plaques, but has adverse effects including microhemorrhage and brain inflammation. Wang et al. recently tested the ability of a single-chain antibody against A (scFv) to promote plaque clearance in a mouse model of AD. This scFv lacks the normal antibody's constant (Fc) region, which has been suggested to mediate the detrimental side effects of other anti-A immunotherapies.
The investigators first demonstrated that recombinant scFv could inhibit the formation of A fibrils and promote the disaggregation of preformed fibrils in vitro. To test the technique in vivo, the scFv gene was delivered by recombined adeno-associated virus vectors into 9-month-old transgenic mice with numerous brain A deposits. Compared with control animals, levels of Apeptide in the brains of treated animals were significantly lower following intramuscular (P <0.05) as well as intracranial (P <0.01) delivery of scFv. Three months after delivery, no antibodies against scFv were detected, no T-lymphocyte infiltration was observed, and there was no increase in the number of microhemorrhage profiles in scFv-treated mice compared with controls.
The results suggest that intramuscular delivery of scFv is as effective and safe as intracranial delivery for reducing the total A burden in a mouse model of AD, and that neither mode of delivery elicits an inflammatory response http://www.sciencedaily.com

Probiotics have a role in paediatrics, say experts
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