Miracle jab to stop Alzheimer’s: Wonder vaccine may hold key to halting disease

Researchers are testing the potency of a vaccine to destroy “toxic tangles”, which are a hallmark of the disease. Trials involving patients with early stages of the incurable condition are already under way. If successful they could pave the way for a simple jab that nullifies the effects of the devastating disease. Experts think they have developed a therapy that targets the destructive tangles in brains of people with the disease. The inoculation works by stimulating the body’s immune system to attack an abnormal form of protein which prevents nutrients and essential supplies moving through cells. Scientists hope the vaccine, called ACI-35, will halt the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients who receive it early enough. The breakthrough medication is being tested at the Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) at the Royal United Hospital, Bath. Professor Roy Jones, director of RICE, said: “This is very important. It opens the way to a completely different...