Alzheimer's Mice Treated with Cancer Drug

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease that destroys memory and the ability to control connections between the brain cells. The Yale School of Medicine researchers reported that memory and connections between brain cells were restored in mice with Alzheimer's disease when given an experimental cancer drug.

The drug, AZ005030, was not found to be effective in treating tumors. However, it was found to block damage triggered by the formation of amyloid-beta plaques, which is a prominent problem in Alzheimer's. When the experimental mice were given AZ005030, their memory was restored. The drug blocked the activation of the enzyme FYN, which leads to the loss of synaptic connections between brain cells. Therefore, the connections between the brain cells in the mice were restored.

I think this article is very interesting because it demonstrates how one drug can have alternate uses in different diseases. Although this particular drug was not effective in cancer, it was found to be effective in Alzheimer's.

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