Roche 'brain shuttle' technology offers Alzheimer's hope

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Roche 'brain shuttle' technology offers Alzheimer's hope

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/roche-39-brain-shuttle-39-technology-offers-alzheimer-170539626--finance.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/XjMru0WQ0mjBUZdTjrVDkw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-01-08T170539Z_1_CBREA071BHH00_RTROPTP_2_SWITZERLAND.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="The logo of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is seen at a plant in the central Swiss village of Rotkreuz" align="left" title="The logo of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is seen at a plant in the central Swiss village of Rotkreuz" border="0" /></a>By Caroline Copley ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche has found an efficient way for complex antibody drugs to reach and penetrate the brain, raising the possibility of more effective treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's. The innovative brain shuttle technology, which has so far been tested in mice, can cross the blood-brain barrier that has been a key obstacle for researchers working on neurological drugs because it acts as a seal against large molecules such as antibodies. Alzheimer's is a fatal brain-wasting disease that affects 44 million people worldwide, with the number set to triple by 2050, campaign group Alzheimer's Disease International says. Roche's new technology works by hijacking a natural transport mechanism called receptor-mediated transcytosis, which is normally used by the body to transfer proteins inside the brain. &quot;We have basically designed this module, called shuttle, that binds to this transport mechanism and shuttles a cargo inside the brain,&quot; Luca Santarelli, Roche's head of neuroscience, ophthalmology and rare diseases, said in a telephone interview.</p><br clear="all"/>

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