Nov 15, 2004
NEW DRUGS TO KEEP THE "RUST" OFF OUR BRAINS
I could not be more excited:
Excess iron that causes the brain to"rust" is the target of three new drugs developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to treat and prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The trio of drugs known as VK-28, HLA-20, and M30, which were recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, mop up excess iron before it can trigger a chemical reaction between oxygen free radicals and iron, a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. Unlike other drugs currently used against these disorders, which try to replace the functions lost by dying neurons, these drugs halt the neuron destruction itself.