Immunotherapy for Alzheimer disease

Immunotherapy approaches for Alzheimer disease currently are among the leading therapeutic directions for the disease. Active and passive immunotherapy against the beta-amyloid peptides that aggregate and accumulate in the brain of those afflicted by the disease have been shown by numerous groups to reduce plaque pathology and improve behavior in transgenic mouse models of the disease. Several ongoing immunotherapy clinical trials for Alzheimer disease are in progress. The background and ongoing challenges for these immunological approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer disease are discussed.