Reduction of Dementia-Causing Substances Confirmed in Live Mouse Experiments
Improvement in Cognitive Function Verified
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A study has found that temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain, can increase the delivery rate of antibody treatments for dementia.
Professor Jang Jin-woo's neurosurgery research team at Yonsei University College of Medicine, together with Professor Kim Hye-seon’s pharmacology research team at Seoul National University College of Medicine, announced on the 13th that they improved the delivery rate of antibody treatments by 8.1 times by opening the blood-brain barrier in the hippocampus of dementia-induced mice using 'high-intensity focused ultrasound.'
Recently, Aducanumab, a dementia treatment used in clinical settings, is an antibody therapy that removes 'amyloid beta,' known to cause dementia, and is currently the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, high-dose administration required for therapeutic effects can cause various side effects, raising controversies regarding its safety and efficacy.
The reason high doses of antibody treatments and other drugs must be administered is due to the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain. The blood-brain barrier, which filters out bacteria and toxic substances in the body, paradoxically acts as a hindrance to the delivery of dementia antibody drugs.
The research team divided dementia-induced mice into three groups: a group that underwent only ultrasound opening surgery of the blood-brain barrier, a group that received only Aducanumab antibody treatment, and a group that simultaneously underwent ultrasound opening surgery and Aducanumab treatment. They then verified the actual therapeutic effects and safety on dementia symptoms. As a result, the group that received both ultrasound opening surgery and Aducanumab treatment showed an 8.1-fold higher delivery amount compared to the treatment-only group.
Comparison of drug delivery amounts between experimental groups. [Data provided by Yonsei Medical Center]
Additionally, the amount of amyloid beta removed by Aducanumab was about twice as high in the group that underwent both blood-brain barrier opening surgery and treatment compared to the treatment-only group. The group that underwent only blood-brain barrier opening surgery showed a reduction in amyloid beta even without treatment.
Furthermore, through the 'Y-maze test,' the group that received both blood-brain barrier opening and treatment showed about a 40% improvement in cognitive function compared to the control group (dementia mice). The Y-maze test is a cognitive function assessment experiment that observes how much a mouse avoids returning to a previously visited path and instead chooses a new path at a three-way junction, based on the mouse’s natural tendency not to retrace its steps.
Professor Jang Jin-woo said, "We plan to soon continue clinical research combining blood-brain barrier ultrasound opening surgery, which has already been clinically proven safe, with new dementia antibody treatments like Aducanumab," adding, "Blood-brain barrier opening surgery using high-intensity focused ultrasound could be a groundbreaking treatment method that offers hope to dementia patients, who are considered to have incurable diseases, and may establish a new milestone."
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