Rember

"rember" is an investigational drug being developed by startup TauRx Therapeutics that has been shown in early clinical trials to be an inhibitor of Tau protein aggregation. [cite news
url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/29/20080729alzheimer-drugs0729-ON.html
title=Experimental Alzheimer's drug shows early promise
date=2008-07-29
publisher=Associated Press via azcentral.com
accessdate= 2008-07-31 ] [cite web
last=Marchione
first= Marilynn
title= Experimental Alzheimer's drug shows early promise
publisher= Associated Press
date= 2008-07-30
url= http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jK3o2IH-4QHTz4i5e9OlzzFCA2pgD927P6QO0
accessdate= 2008-07-30 ] One active ingredient is methylthioninium chloride (MTC), a form of methylene blue.cite web
last= Wilkinson
first= Emma
title= Alzheimer's drug 'halts' decline
publisher= BBC
date= 2008-07-29
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm
accessdate= 2008-07-30] The drug is of potential interest for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Its development appears to be based on claim 7 of Patent |US |6953794 |Inhibition of Tau-Tau Association.TauRx Therapeutics has suggested that the mechanism by which methylene blue might delay or reverse neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease is as an inhibitor of Tau protein aggregation. While methylene blue arguably has an effect on Tau aggregation, it also has an effect on mitochondrial function which is likely to play an important role. In vitro studies suggest that methylene blue might be an effective remedy for both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease by enhancing key mitochondrial biochemical pathways. It can disinhibit and increase complex IV, whose inhibition correlates with Alzheimer's disease. [cite journal
author=Atamna H, Nguyen A, Schultz C, Boyle K, Newberry J, Kato H, Ames BN
title=Methylene blue delays cellular senescence and enhances key mitochondrial biochemical pathways
journal=FASEB J.
volume=22
issue=3
pages=703–12
year=2008
month=March
pmid=17928358]

2008 clinical trial results

Quote box
quote =This is an unprecedented result in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We have demonstrated for the first time that it may possible to arrest the progression of this disease by targeting the tangles which are highly correlated with the disease.
source = Claude M. Wischik
CEO, TauRx Pharmaceutical cite web
author=TauRx Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen
title= New treatment halts progress of Alzheimer's disease
publisher=University of Aberdeen
date=2008-07-29
url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mediareleases/release.php?id=1444
accessdate=2008-07-31]
width = 250px
align = right

The University of Aberdeen held a "Phase IIb" clinical trial [cite press_release
title=Four Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Address a Variety of Treatment Targets - Amyloid, Tau, Synapse Formation
publisher=Alzheimer's Association
date=2008-07-29
url=http://www.alz.org/icad/_release_icad_072908_130pm_trials.asp] on 321 people with mild Alzheimer's disease in the United Kingdom and Singapore and found that taking the drug 3 times a day over a period of 50 weeks slows down the development of Alzheimer's disease by about 81%. cite web
last= Rose
first= David
title= New drug rember brings 'unprecedented' Alzheimer’s treatment advance
publisher= The Times
date= 2008-07-30
url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4425218.ece
accessdate= 2008-07-30]

The patients were split into four groups: one group taking a dose of 30mg, another taking a dose of 60mg, a third taking a dose of 100mg and the fourth taking a placebo. The 60mg dosage gave the best results, giving an 81% reduction in mental degression compared to those on the placebo. Only those on the placebo experienced a decline in mental function.

A larger "Phase 3" trial is planned for 2009 with an idea to see whether "rember" can prevent the formation of the disease in the first place. TauRx are also looking into starting a trial of the drug on patients suffering from Parkinson's disease; as "rember" also has effects on the synuclein fibres in the brain. [cite news
title= TauRx- Alzheimer's disease
publisher= TauRx Therapeutics Ltd.
url= http://www.taurx.com
accessdate= 2008-08-01]

If the results of the two trials correlate then it is anticipated that the drug could be on the market by 2012.

Debate began soon after the announcement over the funding of the drug under the UK's National Health Service [cite news
url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/health/Lyndsay-Moss-Alzheimer39s-39wonder-drug39.4342177.jp
title=Lyndsay Moss: Alzheimer's 'wonder drug' fuels funds debate
publisher=The Scotsman
date=2008-07-31]

The initial press release from TauRx has been characterized as "very aggressively worded". [cite news |url=http://www.portfolio.com/views/columns/natural-selection/2008/08/13/Advances-in-Alzheimer-Treatments?page=0 |title=Desperate for a cure |author=David Ewing Duncan |publisher=Portfolio.com ]

See also

*Alzheimer's disease
*Tau protein

References

External links

*cite news
title=Alzheimer's drug 'halts' decline
author=Wilkinson Emma
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm
publisher=BBC news
date=2008-07-29
*cite journal
title=Methylthioninium chloride (MTC) acts as a Tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) in a cellular model and reverses Tau pathology in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease
author=Harrington C, Rickard J, Horsley D, Harrington K, Hindley K, Riedel G, Theuring F, Seng K, Wischik C
journal=Alzheimer's and Dementia
volume=4
issue=4
pages=T120-T121
year=2008
month=July
doi=10.1016/j.jalz.2008.05.259
pmid=
*cite journal
title=Tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) therapy with rember™ arrests disease progression in mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease over 50 weeks
author=Wischik C, Bentham P, Wischik D, Seng K
journal=Alzheimer's and Dementia
volume=4
issue=4
pages=T167-T167
year=2008
month=July
doi=10.1016/j.jalz.2008.05.438
pmid=