Ultrasound approach could deliver Alzheimer’s drug straight to the brain

(Corrie Pelc/ Medical News Today) — The neurodegenerative disorder Alzheimer’s disease affects about 32 million people around the world.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. There are some medications available that help slow disease progression and alleviate symptoms.

One such type of medication is called anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies. Previous studies show these medications — which currently include aducanumab, lecanemab, and donanemab — can help reduce beta-amyloid plaque build-up in the brain, which is considered to be one of the causesof Alzheimer’s disease.

Now researchers from the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute have discovered that a combination of focused ultrasound and anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody medications can speed up the clearance of beta-amyloid plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. (…)