βοΈ Potential Breakthrough for Alzheimer's Treatment: Focused Ultrasound Combined with Monoclonal Antibodies May Slow Disease Progression
Sunday, 21 January 2024 02:23.PM
- Latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reports promising results in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease using focused ultrasound technology to disrupt blood-brain barrier -
β’ Focused ultrasound temporarily opens up blood-brain barrier to facilitate drug delivery
β’ Study finds combination approach of focused ultrasound and delivery of monoclonal antibodies can lead to accelerated reduction of beta-amyloid plaque, a hallmark for Alzheimer's disease
β’ Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects 6.7 million Americans today
Insightec, a global healthcare company dedicated to using acoustic energy to transform patient care, today announced a promising clinical study in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease leveraging focused ultrasound (FUS) technology, which has been reported in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, conducted with WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI), presents encouraging benefits for Alzheimer's disease patients. Researchers at RNI in collaboration with Insightec were able to combine the use of focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier with delivery of a systemic monoclonal antibody infusion, enhancing the removal of cerebral beta-amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. This innovative treatment approach shows promise in enhancing targeted drug delivery in Alzheimer's disease and other neurological conditions.
"Focused ultrasound provides a new opportunity for Insightec collaborations with drug companies to improve drug delivery to the brain," says Maurice R. FerrΓ©, MD, Insightec's CEO and chairman of the board. "Only 1-2% of drugs can cross the blood-brain barrier, making progress difficult and patient safety challenging when using large systemic drug concentrations. The ability to disrupt the blood-brain barrier to effectively deliver treatment demonstrates the power and potential of using focused ultrasound technology when addressing complex neurological conditions."
"The results from this proof of concept study are encouraging and chart a path forward to improve drug delivery in combating Alzheimer's disease," said Ali Rezai, MD, executive chair of RNI. "Our long-time close collaboration with Insightec has helped accelerate advances in treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases."
Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects 6.7 million Americans today β and promising new therapies are emerging to address this unmet medical need. This latest breakthrough discovery opens up new avenues for research and provides renewed hope for patients and their loved ones. As research progresses, it is anticipated that this treatment approach will continue to evolve and refine, paving the way for even more effective treatments.
Neither the manufacturer of the ultrasound device (Insightec, Tirat Carmel, Israel) nor the manufacturer of aducanumab (Biogen, Cambridge, USA -) sponsored the research or participated in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript writing in any way.
SOURCE: Insightec
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