Advances in active and passive immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease – a short review

Jacek Tabarkiewicz
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Department of Human Immunology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Medical College, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland
Received: 3 January 2016 / Accepted: 26 February 2016 / Published: 30 March 2016

Abstract

Disease-modifying alternatives are intensively developed for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, a group of diseases that afflict millions of patients annually. The pre-clinical data shown involvement of immune system in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Microglia cells, antigen presenting cells like dendritic cells and products of complement activation take an active part in neurodegeneration. On the other hand, some components of immune system could be used for elimination of amyloid plaques and another structural abnormalities associated with AD. Because of that, passive and active immunotherapies are one of the most developed approaches in therapy of AD. Vaccination against amyloid-ß, α-synuclein, or tau has been extensively explored, especially as the discovery that these proteins may propagate cell-to-cell and be accessible to antibodies when embedded into the plasma membrane or in the extracellular space. Also other methods of passive (intravenous immunoglobulins) and active (DNA based vaccines) are associated with positive clinical outcome. The clinical development of efficient and safe immunotherapies for Alzheimer ’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders is a field in constant evolution.

 

Cite

Tabarkiewicz J. Advances in active and passive immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease – a short review. Medical Review 2016; 14 (1): 93–96. doi: 10.15584/medrev.2016.1.8

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