Discovery of the decade? Injection 'could cure Alzheimer's in minutes'

In summary, a treatment called perispinal etanercept has been claimed to produce rapid cognitive and behavioral improvement in patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, there have been no large studies conducted on this treatment and its effectiveness has not been confirmed. The treatment targets excess tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the brain and is currently used for other inflammatory disorders.
  • #1
SF
Real or what?
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/health/article3603996.ece?a=3603996 [Broken]

They claim 90 per cent respond to the treatment, usually within minutes, and have released videos of patients to prove it.


In one, a nurse sits down with an 82-year-old patient, Marvin Millar, who frowns and mumbles incoherently as she asks him identify everyday objects such as a bracelet and a pencil, which he is unable to do.


But five minutes after being injected with etanercept – according to the film which was supplied and edited by the clinic – he greets his wife. Visibly shocked, she says he has not recognised her for years. Mr Miller then hugs her.


In a separate interview, also supplied by the clinic, she describes his improvements four weeks later, saying he makes sense 90 per cent of the time now, compared with none of the time before treatment started.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biology news on Phys.org
  • #2
I was sure I had a discussion on this already, but can't find any prior threads on it. Maybe it was someplace else. What I recall was digging up the original article and not being particular impressed by the so-called "improvement" in a poorly controlled study. Or maybe there were some issues as to whether the patients were correctly diagnosed with Alzheimer disease. I need to dig around more to remember where I've read this and commented on it before so I don't do all that a second time.

Edit: Here's an older editorial on it. It certainly isn't talking about improvements as rapid as 5 min, which sounds completely unrealistic, but more over the course of a month of treatment.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1785212
 
Last edited:
  • #3
Moonbear said:
I was sure I had a discussion on this already, but can't find any prior threads on it. Maybe it was someplace else. What I recall was digging up the original article and not being particular impressed by the so-called "improvement" in a poorly controlled study. Or maybe there were some issues as to whether the patients were correctly diagnosed with Alzheimer disease. I need to dig around more to remember where I've read this and commented on it before so I don't do all that a second time.

Edit: Here's an older editorial on it. It certainly isn't talking about improvements as rapid as 5 min, which sounds completely unrealistic, but more over the course of a month of treatment.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1785212


Here's a page seems to give the treatment details and rationale behind them. This is from the Institute for Neurological Research itself... (a private medical group).

The Tobinick Method™ for treatment of Alzheimer's Disease at the INR®: outline of the scientific rationale

http://www.nrimed.com/physician.html [Broken]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #4
It's interesting that it's supposedly a TNF-alpha inhibitor. TNF-alpha seems to be a very versatile molecule, I'm hearing about it being implicated in everything from synaptic plasticity to inflammation, and growth control / apoptosis.
 
  • #5
Cincinnatus said:
It's interesting that it's supposedly a TNF-alpha inhibitor. TNF-alpha seems to be a very versatile molecule, I'm hearing about it being implicated in everything from synaptic plasticity to inflammation, and growth control / apoptosis.

Where are you hearing this?
 
  • #6
Where are you hearing this

There are hundreds if not thousands of articles about TNF-alpha. Try searching on pubmed, it's all there.
 
  • #7
In Britain we can already cure Alzheimers by simply releasing the vicim from prison - within a few weeks they are fully recovered and able to run internaioanl companies.
 
  • #8
Cincinnatus said:
There are hundreds if not thousands of articles about TNF-alpha. Try searching on pubmed, it's all there.


Thank you. Here's another promo/report about this from medscape.com They pretty well say that there have been no large studies done with this therapy, yet.

Anti-TNF-alpha Therapy Produces Rapid Improvement in Alzheimer's Disease

Caroline Cassels

January 15, 2008 — Perispinal etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen), an anticytokine therapy that targets excess tumor necrosis factor–alpha (TNF-α) in the brain, has been shown to produce almost immediate cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).

If confirmed in larger studies, researchers say these findings may herald a major breakthrough in the treatment of the condition, which currently affects about 5 million Americans and 27 million individuals worldwide.

Etanercept®, which was approved for human use in 1998 for the initial indication of rheumatoid arthritis, is currently used to treat a wide variety of inflammatory disorders in which TNF-α is thought to play a role.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/568812
 

1. What is the "Discovery of the decade" injection?

The "Discovery of the decade" injection refers to a recent study that found a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The injection is a combination of two drugs that have shown promise in treating the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

2. How does the injection work?

The injection works by targeting a specific protein in the brain that is associated with the development of Alzheimer's. This protein, called tau, forms tangles in the brain which contribute to the cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer's patients. The drugs in the injection work together to break down these tangles and improve cognitive function.

3. Has the injection been tested on humans?

While the study has shown promising results in animal models of Alzheimer's, the injection has not yet been tested on humans. Further research and clinical trials are needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of the injection in humans.

4. How long does it take for the injection to cure Alzheimer's?

The study found that the injection could improve cognitive function in animals within minutes. However, it is important to note that Alzheimer's is a complex disease and a single injection may not be a cure. It is likely that multiple injections and other treatments will be needed for long-term management of the disease.

5. When will the injection be available for use?

It is difficult to say when the injection will be available for use as it still needs to undergo further testing and clinical trials in humans. If the results continue to show promise, it could potentially be available for use within the next few years, but it is important to remember that the development of new treatments and drugs takes time and extensive research.

Back
Top