TOMM40

Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth Houston) has linked flu vaccination with a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The findings will be published in an August edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. This study is the second in a series conducted at the well-reputed research center, focusing on this possible link. The goal of this follow-up was to expand the data pool, and in this it succeeded, analyzing the data of 935,887 patients in each group, non-vaccinated and vaccinated. Follow-ups were conducted over the course of four years for all participating patients. Collectively, the data set found that 5.1% of vaccinated patients went on to develop AD, while 8.5% of unvaccinated patients developed the disease. This lends credence to the theory that vaccination may protect a patient from neurodegeneration and dementia. Study leader Avram S. Bukhbinder, M.D., a recent graduate of UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School, elaborated on the findings. “We found that flu vaccination in older adults reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for several years. The strength of this protective effect increased with the number of years that a person received an annual flu vaccine – in other words, the rate of developing Alzheimer’s was lowest among those who consistently received the flu vaccine every year,” he said. “Future research should assess whether flu vaccination is also associated with the rate of symptom progression in patients who already have Alzheimer’s dementia.” Further research must also be done to determine whether this protective mechanism is unique to flu vaccination or if a lower risk of dementia development comes from less exposure to damaging diseases. To put it simply, the more the brain endures, the more susceptible it may be to dementia. Speaking to the original UTHealth study, Alzheimer’s Association CSO Maria C. Carrillo speculated on how critical general healthcare is for neuroprotection. “It may turn out to be as simple as if you’re taking care of your health in this way – getting vaccinated – you’re also taking care of yourself in other ways, and these things add up to lower risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” she said. “This research, while early, calls for further studies in large, diverse clinical trials to inform whether vaccinations as a public health strategy decrease our risk for developing dementia as we age.” Another 2020 study came out of Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute. Focusing on the link between the development of AD and pneumonia vaccination, genetic information for 5,146 patients over the age of 65 was analyzed. Specifically, the patients were checked to see if they were carriers of the rs2075650 G allele in the TOMM40 gene. Carrying this allele is a known risk factor for AD development. The analysis found that patients that are non-carriers of this allele have a 40% lower risk of AD development after receiving a pneumonia vaccine.

An old man looking at camera, covering his mouth with his hand. Black and white photo. urbazon/Getty Images Collectively, the data set found that 5.1% of vaccinated patients went on to develop AD, while 8.5% of unvaccinated patients developed the disease. Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth Houston) has linked flu vaccination with a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The findings will be published in an August edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease . This study is the second in a series conducted at the well-reputed research center, focusing on this possible link. The goal of this follow-up was to expand the data pool, and in this it succeeded, analyzing the data of 935,887 patients in each group, non-vaccinated and vaccinated. Follow-ups were conducted over the course of four years for all participating patients. Collectively, the data set found that 5.1% of vaccinated patients went on to develop AD, while 8.5% of unvaccinated patients developed the disease. This lends credence to the theory that vaccination may protect a patient from neurodegeneration and dementia. Study leader Avram S. Bukhbinder, M.D., a recent graduate of UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School, elaborated on the findings. “We found that flu vaccination in older adults reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for several years. The strength of this protective effect increased with the number of years that a person received an annual flu vaccine – in other words, the rate of developing Alzheimer’s was lowest among those who consistently received the flu vaccine every year,” he said. “Future research should assess whether flu vaccination is also associated with the rate of symptom progression in patients who already have Alzheimer’s dementia.” Further research must also be done to determine whether this protective mechanism is unique to flu vaccination or if a lower risk of dementia development comes from less exposure to damaging diseases. To put it simply, the more the brain endures, the more susceptible it may be to dementia. Speaking to the original UTHealth study , Alzheimer’s Association CSO Maria C. Carrillo speculated on how critical general healthcare is for neuroprotection. “It may turn out to be as simple as if you’re taking care of your health in this way – getting vaccinated – you’re also taking care of yourself in other ways, and these things add up to lower risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” she said. “This research, while early, calls for further studies in large, diverse clinical trials to inform whether vaccinations as a public health strategy decrease our risk for developing dementia as we age.” Another 2020 study came out of Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute. Focusing on the link between the development of AD and pneumonia vaccination, genetic information for 5,146 patients over the age of 65 was analyzed. Specifically, the patients were checked to see if they were carriers of the rs2075650 G allele in the TOMM40 gene. Carrying this allele is a known risk factor for AD development. The analysis found that patients that are non-carriers of this allele have a 40% lower risk of AD development after receiving a pneumonia vaccine.

Another experimental Alzheimer’s disease treatment has failed in a late-stage study. Another experimental Alzheimer’s disease treatment has failed in a late-stage study . Takeda Pharmaceutical and development partner Zinfandel Pharmaceuticals have pulled the plug on their five-year Phase III TOMMORROW trial following an interim analysis. The two companies said the planned futility analysis showed an inadequate treatment effect with the investigational drug pioglitazone 0.8 mg SR in delaying the onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The TOMMORROW trial was investigating the genetic-based biomarker risk assignment algorithm (BRAA) as well as evaluating the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug. There were no safety concerns, the companies said. The companies were investigating if the drug could delay the onset of MCI due to Alzheimer’s in cognitively normal individuals projected to be at high risk, as determined by the BRAA. When the companies initiated the trial in 2013 they noted the risk assignment algorithm is comprised of apolipoprotein E (APOE) and TOMM40 genotypes and age. Age and APOE genotype have previously been shown to indicate elevated risk of AD. The addition of TOMM40 is hypothesized to further refine the risk determination, the companies said. Emiliangelo Ratti , head of Takeda’s Neuroscience Therapeutic Area, said the two companies will analyze the data, which includes performance of a genetic-based biomarker risk assignment algorithm. Ratti said the companies hope the data will “ultimately help in the global fight” against Alzheimer’s disease. Results from the TOMMORROW trial will be presented at a future scientific meeting and efforts will be made to share the primary data with the scientific community, Takeda said in a statement. Ann Saunders , chief executive officer of Durham, N.C.-based Zinfandel, said the Phase III trial will provide invaluable clinical data that will provide “valuable insights into the earliest stages of the AD process and contribute to easing the burden of AD.” Despite this failure, Takeda said it remains committed to investigating Alzheimer’s therapies. That commitment was seen at the start of the year with a collaborative agreement with Denali Therapeutics for three Alzheimer’s disease programs in a deal that could be worth up to $1 billion when regulatory and clinical milestones are factored into the equation. The companies did not divulge much information on the three programs, but they jointly said the ATV technology will enhance blood-brain barrier penetration in Alzheimer’s patients. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are a growing healthcare concern. In the United States, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death across all ages and the fifth-leading cause of death in people over 65 years of age. By 2050, the number of global patients is expected to hit 131.5 million. To say it’s been difficult to develop a treatment for Alzheimer’s would be a tremendous understatement. Multiple companies have seen clinical failures. In September, Axovant reported its Phase III trial testing intepirdine in Alzheimer’s patients failed to distinguish itself against placebo. Earlier this month, Pfizer said it was abandoning research and development into new neuroscience development, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This week Eli Lilly published data from its failed EXPEDITION3 trial that casts doubt on the amyloid beta plaque theory of Alzheimer’s. In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lilly said it could not validate findings from earlier trials that its drug solanezumab could slow down cognitive decline.