Ann: Landmark Research on Excess Cortisol & Alzheimer's Disease-ACW.AX, page-5

HERALD SUN

Victorian trial to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s by reducing brain’s stress hormone levels

LUCIE VAN DEN BERG, MEDICAL REPORTER, Herald Sun

April 27, 2015 10:35pm

A NEW drug that could treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease by reducing levels of the stress hormone in the brain is being trialled in Victoria.

Patients with the most common form of dementia have been found to have elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, which may accelerate symptoms by promoting build-up of plaque.
Professor Colin Masters, from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and the University of Melbourne, said the drug Xanamem inhibits an enzyme that makes cortisol.

Results of a trial of the safety of the drug in healthy people are expected within months, but there is enough confidence about its effectiveness to plan phase two trials.

“It’s now known that in Alzheimer’s disease cortisol is increased in the brain and it may correlate with rates of cognitive decline in dementia,’’ he said. “Therefore, lowering levels of the hormone in the brain could have clinical benefit.”

Prof Masters is on the clinical advisory board for the company Actinogen, which is developing the drug.
The drug attempts to lower cortisol in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, but not stop the body from producing the hormone as a natural response to stress.

From next year hundreds of people from Victoria, Britain and the US will test it to see if it can relieve symptoms.

“This drug will be trialled on people who are symptomatic because we want to see if it will have an impact on symptoms such as memory loss, disorientation and forgetfulness,” Prof Masters said.

“It’s unlikely that there will be a single magic bullet for Alzheimer’s disease. Like many other chronic illnesses, it’s much more likely there will be a combination therapy, and this drug could form part of that,” he said.

If trials succeed, it could be at least four more years before the drug is on the market.

A trial of another drug, A4, is recruiting healthy Victorians aged 65-85, at risk of Alzheimer’s. They will be given an anti-amyloid antibody that aims to slow memory loss.

Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria is urging the State Government to give $10 million to better support an estimated 81,000 afflicted Victorians.

Each week there are 1800 new cases of dementia in Australia.
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