Prevention and treatment of amyloidogenic disease

Abstract

The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with amyloid deposits of Aβ in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the amyloid deposit. The methods are useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Preferred agents including N-terminal fragments of Aβ and antibodies binding to the same.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 889,999, filed Jul. 12, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 580,018, filed May 26, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 322,289, filed May 28, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 201,430, filed Nov. 30, 1998, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Application No. 60 / 080,970, filed Apr. 7, 1998 and U.S. Application No. 60 / 067,740, filed Dec. 2, 1997, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. This application is also a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 09 / 724,940, filed Nov. 28, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 580,015, filed May 26, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 322,289, filed May 28, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In one aspect, the invention provides methods of preventing or treating a disease associated with amyloid deposits of Aβ in the brain of a patient. Such diseases include Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome and cognitive impairment. The latter can occur with or without other characteristics of an amyloidogenic disease. Some methods of the invention entail administering an effective dosage of an antibody that specifically binds to a component of an amyloid deposit to the patient. Such methods are particularly useful for preventing or treating Alzheimer's disease in human patients. Some methods entail administering an effective dosage of an antibody that binds to Aβ. Some methods entail administering an effective dosage of an antibody that specifically binds to an epitope within residues 1-10 of Aβ. In some methods, the antibody specifically binds to an epitope within r

Problems solved by technology

Because EP 526,511 's proposed dosage would barely alter the level of endogenous circulating Aβ and because EP 526,511 does not recommend use of an adjuvant, as an immunostimulant, it seems implausible that any therapeutic benefit would result.

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