First name: Nicole
Current Event Posting Number: 1
Topic: Health
Title of Article: Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer’s in
mice
Author: Elizabeth Cohen
Publication Name: CNN News
Publication Date: February 9, 2012
Length or Article: 542 words
Scientists say they
"serendipitously" discovered that a drug used to treat a type of
cancer quickly reversed Alzheimer's disease in mice. After injecting mice with bexarotene, a drug
used to treat a type of skin cancer called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, researchers
at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine noted that after 72
hours, the mice showed dramatic improvements in memory and very active and vigorous
behavior in the mice. Pathology tests on the mice showed bexarotene
lowered the levels of amyloid beta and raised the levels of apolipoprotein E,
which helps keep amyloid beta levels low.
To test the mice’s’ memories, the researchers conducted an experiment in
which the Alzheimer's mice, walked right into a cage where they'd previously
been given a painful electrical shock. After
treatment with bexarotene, the mice remembered the shock and refused to enter
the cage. However, Gary Landreth, the
lead researcher at Case Western, stated that even though the drug was effective
and beneficial in the ice, it may turn out dysfunctional or harmful to humans. There have been several cases in which drugs that
had fixed Alzheimer’s in mice, so further testing of the drug will take place
before it will be tested on humans. The
study was published on Thursday in the journal Science.
Bexarotene may or may not be the
answer to curing Alzheimer’s. Even
though it worked stupendously well in mice, there is no saying in whether or
not humans will react in such a positive way.
Further testing and researching will be done before any conclusions as
to the safety and usefulness of this drug can be drawn.
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ReplyDeleteThrough years of research scientists have finally found a way to treat Alzheimer's through a cancer drug treatment, bexarotene. Scientists used lab mice to show the results of the Alzheimer's treatment. The mice showed results after a remarkable pace of just 72 hours. This cure seems to be one that will prosper because, even after electrically shocking the mice they still retained the memory of being shocked. Hopefully scientists can create a stable method of cure to humans with various stages of Alzheimer's.
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