Nine dollars per drug pill used to treat HIV patients could help reverse memory loss in old age, study finds small adjustment to start
- Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the drug would be moved to human trials to investigate whether it could strengthen memory.
- The drug works by inactivating a gene that causes a protein that HIV uses to infect cells
- This same gene also leads to the suppression of unnecessary memory cells
By Luke Andrews Health Reporter for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 21:24, 27 May 2022 | Updated: 9:24 PM, May 27, 2022
A new study finds that a $ 9-per-tablet drug used to treat HIV could also help reverse memory loss in the elderly.
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that Maraviroc, sold under the Selzentry brand, improved memory in middle-aged animals.
It will now be moved to human trials to investigate whether it can strengthen memory or be an early intervention for patients with dementia.
The drug works by inactivating a specific gene that makes a cellular protein used by HIV to invade them.
But this same gene is also involved in the elimination of unnecessary memory cells, with studies showing that when memory is deleted it is enhanced.
More than five million Americans are suffering from dementia, according to estimates, with limited treatments available to curb the symptoms of the disease. There is no cure.
A UCLA research team found that Selzentry was able to limit the cognitive decline of rats and is ready to begin human trials.
What is maraviroc (Selzentry)?
This drug is prescribed to HIV patients to slow down their infection.
It works by disabling a gene that encodes a part of a cell that HIV uses to invade it.
This slows down the infection by preventing the virus from making more copies of itself.
The drug is taken as two tablets a day, priced at $ 9 each, for as long as needed.
About 90 percent of HIV patients have the strain that the drug can suppress.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature, conducted the initial trials with mice.
They found that when the CCR5 gene was overactive, rodents forgot the difference between two different cages, they said.
But when it was removed, it was found that the animals had a much better memory and connection between brain cells.
This was also observed when administered with the drug.
Professor Alcino Silva, the neurobiologist who led the study, said: “Our next step will be to organize a clinical trial to test the influence of maraviroc on early memory loss with the aim of early intervention.
“Once we fully understand how memory decreases, we have the potential to slow down the process.”
He explained that the brains rarely store memories alone and instead in groups, so remembering one triggers the others.
But as the brains age, they gradually lose their ability to link memories, leading to memory problems.
Maraviroc has been used in the United States since 2007, and in 2016 it was also approved for patients over two years of age.
It is given as a liquid or tablet, and patients should take the drug twice a day while they have the infection.
People infected with tropic type CCR5, which accounts for more than 90 percent of HIV cases, may be prescribed the drug.
Dementia is triggered when it builds up damage to brain cells, causing them to struggle to communicate with each other.
People who suffer often lose interest in their usual activities, may have trouble managing behavior and emotions, and may also encounter difficulties in social situations.
There are several medications available to treat dementia, but all focus on slowing the progression of the disease.