They better water that shiat down if they want to make any money.

Get some of that to Terry Pratchett before he offs himself.

/He has plans you know
//"I will not die of Alzheimer's. I shall make other arrangements; I'm going to take the disease with me."

OBLIG!

Wendy's Chili: They better water that shiat down if they want to make any money.

This.

/If its any good, we'll never hear another word about this drug.

Link (new window)

Oblig retry

I just want to welcome our new ape overlords!

Speaker2Animals: This sort of thing has happened many times before -- works for mice, but doesn't translate to human use.

True... but since the drug has already been approved safe for human use a doctor could write an off-label prescription for Alzheimer's treatment today if he or she wishes. Given the fast response in the mice model I'd certainly try bexarotene if I was in the early stages of Alzheimer's or had a family member suffering from the disease.

Hm, Targretin is a known teratogen, but no studies have been conducted to determine whether or not it is a carcinogen. Oh, well, I guess having cancer some time down the line is better than a living death with a swiss-cheese brain.

Jurodan: Get some of that to Terry Pratchett before he offs himself.

/He has plans you know
//"I will not die of Alzheimer's. I shall make other arrangements; I'm going to take the disease with me."

I was thinking the same thing.

/Want Raising Taxes so badly.
//So badly.

Wilgar: Jurodan: Get some of that to Terry Pratchett before he offs himself.

/He has plans you know
//"I will not die of Alzheimer's. I shall make other arrangements; I'm going to take the disease with me."

I was thinking the same thing.

/Want Raising Taxes so badly.
//So badly.

-I was rather hoping for another Death/Susan novel, but I'll take whatever he's willing to write about.

State_College_Arsonist: Oh, well, I guess having cancer some time down the line is better than a living death with a swiss-cheese brain.

Dr. Sam Beckett disagrees.

Also, if the lead to this story didn't have that misleadingly douchey em dash, this would be an okay article.

"We have found the cure to dyspepsia [OMG FINALLY] -- in reticulated chipmunks. [FUUUU]"

still no cure for cancer?

FTA:
"It's very uncommon, so far, that treatments for mice translate for humans,"

Then why the fark are we still testing with mice?

we can do the following in mice:

make them walk after severe spinal cord injury
cure alzheimers
make them live 30% longer
make them thin with a pill
make the blind see again


the problem is making this stuff work in humans. Turns out were pretty different from the little buggers. Cancer drug reverses deficits in an alzheimers disease model.

/geekout

Arthur Jumbles: Speaker2Animals: This sort of thing has happened many times before -- works for mice, but doesn't translate to human use.

True... but since the drug has already been approved safe for human use a doctor could write an off-label prescription for Alzheimer's treatment today if he or she wishes. Given the fast response in the mice model I'd certainly try bexarotene if I was in the early stages of Alzheimer's or had a family member suffering from the disease.

That would be amazingly stupid. We don't even know yet if it's safe for humans, let alone effective. We could try it in people and find it helps your alzheimers for a few months and then kills you, or that it just straight kills you.

If you are in the beginning stages of Alzheimers or worried about it, the best thing you can do is exercise your brain. Things like crossword puzzles or Soduku or something.

Seriously, mice and humans are pretty different. Most people know this.

beaverfetus: we can do the following in mice:

make them walk after severe spinal cord injury
cure alzheimers
make them live 30% longer
make them thin with a pill
make the blind see again


the problem is making this stuff work in humans. Turns out were pretty different from the little buggers. Cancer drug reverses deficits in an alzheimers disease model.

/geekout

Yes but... the drug points out a new mechanism for attacking the disease, so that we might search for a similar drug that acts in humans. Previously, attacking the protein tangles that seem to be clogging the inter neural junctions meant making vaccines or monoclonal antibodies to them. These are harder to administer, and have thus far had the side effect of causing water build up in the brain which was detrimental. This drug works on a receptor pathway that helps to metabolize the protein tangles very rapidly and without water buildup. Presumably there is a similar pathway in Humans. Even if this drug is not effective in Humans, they will be looking very closely at that receptor and trying to design a drug that does work.

lennavan: Arthur Jumbles: Speaker2Animals: This sort of thing has happened many times before -- works for mice, but doesn't translate to human use.

True... but since the drug has already been approved safe for human use a doctor could write an off-label prescription for Alzheimer's treatment today if he or she wishes. Given the fast response in the mice model I'd certainly try bexarotene if I was in the early stages of Alzheimer's or had a family member suffering from the disease.

That would be amazingly stupid. We don't even know yet if it's safe for humans, let alone effective. We could try it in people and find it helps your alzheimers for a few months and then kills you, or that it just straight kills you.

Did you miss the part where its been safely used in humans since 1999? Doctors tend to be willing to use off-label treatments when no conventual options are available. While it likely won't be covered by a patience's insurance this will be prescribed..... for now it's just a waiting game to see whether it's effective.