November 4, 2014

expert reaction to type 2 diabetes drug showing neuroprotective effects in mice

A study published in the journal Neuropharmacology has looked at the effects of drugs currently used to treat type 2 diabetes on brain function in mice, particularly with respect to Alzheimer’s disease, finding that both may be potential treatments.

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Diabetes is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s although we still do not fully understand the mechanisms linking the two conditions. Previous laboratory research has suggested that some treatments for Type 2 diabetes could help to protect the brain from the damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease. This study found that two diabetes drugs could slow nerve cell damage in mice with some of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s and that the animals also performed better on a memory test. While this study does highlight an interesting target for the development of new treatments for the disease, the next important step will be to see whether these benefits seen in mice can be reproduced in clinical trials in people.”

Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

“It is exciting that drugs used for type 2 diabetes have been found to be promising as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, and could tackle the underlying changes in the brain that are causing the disease. Alzheimer’s Society funded earlier work that showed the promise of the drug liraglutide, and we are now funding a clinical trial of this drug in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

“Current treatments for Alzheimer’s only help with the symptoms for a short while and do not stop the disease from progressing. We believe that the concept of drug repurposing, where drugs already licensed for one condition may be beneficial for dementia, has enormous potential and could deliver new treatments faster and cheaper than producing a new drug from scratch. By speeding up the research process we hope to deliver a new dementia treatment within five to 10 years.”

‘Lixisenatide, a drug developed to treat type 2 diabetes, shows neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease’ by McClean et al. published in Neuropharmacology on Tuesday 4^th November.

Declared interests

None declared