Immunotherapy for Alzheimerʹs disease: attacking amyloid-β from the inside

Although extracellular Aβ plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimerʹs disease, it remains to be determined whether extracellular or intracellular Aβ accumulation initiates the disease process. A recent paper from Gunnar Gouras’ group showed that Aβ antibodies lead to reduced intracellular Aβ levels in neurons via antibody internalization after binding to the Aβ domain of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at the plasma membrane. This work suggests novel avenues for the immunotherapy of Alzheimerʹs disease.