New York University School of Medicine said it has signed an agreement with Mindset BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. whereby Mindset becomes the worldwide licensee of a vaccine technology for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Amyrex, the vaccine under development, is based on a soluble, nontoxic and highly immunogenic, synthetic homologue of human Alzheimer amyloid toxin. It has been shown in rodent trials to inhibit the deposition of toxic amyloid fibrils that lead to Alzheimer disease.

"It is widely believed that brain amyloid deposition is intimately related to neurodegeneration, which leads to dementia," said Dr. Blas Frangione, professor of pathology at New York University. "Hence, preventing amyloidogenesis can arrest or delay Alzheimer disease.

"Our goal with the Alzheimer vaccine is to challenge the native immune system to undertake its natural defensive and protective role against abnormal protein folding using a safe highly immunogenic synthetic antigen," Frangione said.

Other sources: Mindset BioPharmaceuticals