While many patients may take such as vitamin C to fight off infections, humans have a protein known as amyloid-beta that is the bodys first line of defense. However, a new study suggests that the protein is also prevalent in the brains of Alzheimers patients.
According to findings published in the journal PLoS ONE, physicians previously thought little of the protein that was a product of other processes in the brain. New evidence suggests that not only are the proteins a part of the plaques found in an Alzheimers patients brain, but they may also provide immunity to the body.
The researchers are looking into these results further to determine whether or not they can use these findings to create immunity treatments. They wrote that more research must be conducted on the protein and what it could mean to the immune system.
“If we can identify which pathogens are more likely to trigger A-beta plaque aggregation, we might develop ways to prevent or control that response, for example by immunization,” said researcher Robert Moir, Ph.D.