Alzheimer's disease therapy - clinical trials

Professor Donna Wilcock discusses the process of going from a mouse model to human trials for testing the amyloid beta immunization for Alzheimer's disease.

Right now, as of today [November, 2008], the drug companies are in phase II and phase III clinical trials of something a little more complex than the a-beta [amyloid beta] vaccination, which is to directly administer anti-a-beta antibodies to people. The idea is that this is a safer approach than a vaccination approach because you can withdraw treatment if you see any adverse effects. So, the antibody – and we call this passive immunization – passive immunization is in phase II to phase III, and there are at the moment, to my understanding, three drug companies with three different antibodies in trials. And then the a-beta vaccination approach, which is an active vaccination, this approach is in very early phase II trials right now.