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U.S. biotechnology companyGenentech announced on Tuesday that it has been picked for a first-ever Alzheimer's disease prevention trial which may determinewhether one of the company's experimental drugs could delay orprevent people with a genetic history to get the dementia. According to the South San Francisco-headquartered company, thestudy will involve about 300 cognitively healthy people from localfamilies in Medellin, Colombia. All of them can be traced to acommon descendant and share a rare genetic mutation that typicallytriggers Alzheimer's symptoms around age 45. The study will alsoinclude a small number of participants in the United States. The experimental drug is called crenezumab, which is an antibodytreatment designed to bind to amyloid beta. Amyloid beta is themain constituent of amyloid plaque in the brains of patients withAlzheimer's disease and widely taken as the leading cause of thedisease. With a unique patient population, the trial will study patientsbefore they show any symptoms and may help determine if the amyloidhypothesis is correct, which will make it a historic study, saidRichard Scheller, Genentech's executive vice president of researchand early development. Genentech said it will collaborate with the U.S. NationalInstitutes of Health and Banner Alzheimer's Institute, a nonprofitorgnization based in Phoenix, Arizona which will lead the study. The Banner Alzheimer's Institute got a 16-million-U.S. dollar grantfrom the U.S. National Alzheimer's Plan announced on Tuesday alongwith 15 million dollars donation from the Banner Alzheimer'sFoundation. Genentech will pay an estimated 100 million dollars intotal costs for the study. The pharmaceutical industry has been struggling to develop a drugthat has been safe and effective for Alzheimer's disease.Genentech's crenezumab stands out from its rivals as it has shownno significant safety issues. In 2010, Eli Lilly halted its studyof an anti-amyloid drug after finding it worsened patient'scognition and ability to perform daily functions. Last year, the U.S. Congress passed National Alzheimer's Project toaddress the human and economic toll of a disease that afflictsaround 5.4 million Americans, a number that is expected to tripleby 2050. In 2009, Genentech was acquired by Swiss global health-care companyRoche for approximately 46.8 billion dollars. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Suspended Platform Cradle , Scaffolding Spare Parts for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Suspended Platforms.
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