Innovative idea for developing vaccine for curing Alzheimer

Alzheimer's disease or AD, is the one of the most common forms of dementia.
So far, no cure for this disease has been discovered and it gets worse as it progresses, eventually leading to death.
Although the cause of the disease is not known, there are several postulates circulating in the medical world, upon which researches are conducted.
The most known postulate is the one according to which Alzheimer is caused by a reduced synthesis of neurotransmitter called acetylcholine (the most important neurotransmitter for PNS – peripheral nervous system and CNS – central nervous system).

However, the medicines developed for treating this lack of acetylcholine have not given the desired results.
The research group at Georgia Health Sciences University is focusing its research on the second postulate according to which deposits of amyloid protein in the brain can be the primary cause of the disease. Normally, these deposits should be eliminated through the body's natural defense systems.
According to the research group conducted by a student of the University in Dr. Alvin Terry's laboratory, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, amyloid is deposited in the brain due to a protein that binds with amyloid and transports it to the brain. This protein called RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) can also be responsible for the inflammation of the brain.

The group is trying to develop a vaccine that would target the RAGE protein and amyloid deposits by increasing the body's immunity and responsiveness to these deposits.

So far, all of the clinical trials have failed mostly due to the fact that the vaccines only targeted the amyloid protein, without taking into consideration RAGE. Within the trials conducted taking into consideration this protein as well, the results have shown improvements in the animal's memory.
An innovative aspect of this study is the fact that the vaccine is administered orally, because it does not require an adjuvant and it also stimulates the human flora which holds very important microorganisms for the immune system.
This student's idea brought him the Darell W. Brann Scholarship in Neuroscience worth 1.000$.