Researchers have discovered that an antiaSthmatic drug could be effective in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.
- Researchers have discovered that an antiaSthmatic called bambuterol could be effective in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.
- However, to act on the brain, they had to work on the development of bambuterol in the form of frost.
- According to the first clinical trials, in this form, the drug protects neurons.
Bambuterolthis is the name of the drug that could change the management of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the research of scientists of Normandy Medicine Studies and Research Center (CERMN), a laboratory from the University of Caen, this antiaSthmatic contains a molecule that protects neurons. Their work, carried out in collaboration with the Institut de Génomique Functional of Montpellier, the start-up Ronoma and the company Neurosys (Gardanne), were published in the journal Biology communications.
An antiaSthmatic drug in the form of frost
Scientists first discovered the beneficial effect of this molecule on neurons. Problem: bambuterol, currently administered nasal, could not reach the brain of patients. They therefore worked to give it another form – a frost applied inside the nasal tracks – which managed to go to neurons.
The researchers conducted several clinical trials to confirm the effectiveness of bambuterol in the form of a frost to fight against Alzheimer’s disease. “”We have carried out computer tests, in vitro tests, explains Patrick Dallemagne, professor of medicinal chemistry at CERMN, at France 3 Normandy. Then we carried out tests on neurons and finally in vivo tests on animals with memory disorders“. For the moment, the tests are conclusive: the frost reaches the brain and makes it possible to deliver the molecule to neurons.
A molecule that protects neurons from Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is due to two types of lesions: amyloid deposits and neurofibrillar degeneration. Each lesion is associated with a protein: The amyloid beta peptide (ß – amyloid) for amyloid deposits, and the phosphorylated protein for neurofibrillar degenerations“, noted The National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It is these lesions that alter the brain and therefore lead to memory loss. Currently, no treatment can cure the disease.
But this new frost could change things. Once it has reached the brain, the bambuterol molecule precisely protects neurons against the accumulation of these proteins. However, other clinical trials will have to be conducted before considering putting this new form of bambuterol on the market.
In France, 900,000 people have Alzheimer’s disease, according to Inserm. Internationally, The World Health Organization (WHO) has more than 55 million patients with dementia, including 60 to 70 % are affected by Alzheimer’s. If no curative treatment is found by then, The Pasteur Institute estimates that this number could reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050.
