Samaritan drug removes AD plaques in animal model

Samaritan Pharmaceuticals of the USA says that its Alzheimer's disease drug, SP-233 (caprospinol), not only stops amyloid plaque formation in the brain of an AD animal model but also results in the complete disappearance of amyloid plaques.

According to the firm, if similar results are attained in humans, the agent might fulfill the long-awaited hope for a life-saving, memory-saving, AD drug. This new study, conducted in a rodent model of the condition and led by Samaritan-collaborating researchers at Georgetown University, USA, found that rats exhibiting an AD-like phenotype treated with a placebo solution retained amyloid plaques formed in the hippocampus and cortex of the brain, whereas those on caprospinol found no detectable plaques.

Samaritan's novel drug demonstrates neuroprotective properties in preclinical studies. In vitro evaluations have shown that it binds directly to beta-amyloid peptide, inhibits the formation of neurotoxic amyloid-derived diffusible ligands and protects the mitochondria function by a direct action of the peptide on the organelle, thus protecting neuronal cells from beta-amyloid-induced toxicity.