TFP5 is a new molecule that has been shown to cancel amyloid accumulation and plaques when injected into mice with disease that is the equivalent of human Alzheimer’s.

The research published in FASEB Journal (January 2013) and carried out by researchers from the National Institutes of Health shows that this molecule is able to reverse the symptoms and restore the memory without apparent toxic side effects.

TFP5 derives from the regulator of a brain enzyme called Cdk5 whose over-activation is considered the key factor of the alterations of Alzheimer’s disease.

“We hope that clinical trial studies in patients with Alzheimer’s disease yield an extended and better quality of life as observed in mice upon TFP5 treatment,” said Harish C. Pant, Ph.D., senior researcher involved in the work.

For his part, Gerald Weissmann, MD, editor-in-chief of the magazine said, “Now that we know that we can target the basic molecular defects in Alzheimer’s disease, we can hope for treatments far better.”
Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders in Bethesda, Maryland, caution that, although early results are promising, clinical trials on humans still need to be conducted to determine whether TFP5 would have similar effects on people suffering with Alzheimer’s.

A parallel study, conducted by researchers from Laval University in Quebec who collaborate with researchers from GlaxoSmithKline vaccines, using another molecule with effects similar to TFP5 that within two years could lead to a “vaccine for Alzheimer’s”.