In a study published today in the journal Neuron, researchers looked at using maraviroc (Selzentry), an antiretroviral treatment approved for HIV, and reported it could help restore this function in mice, allowing them to perform better at object recognition tests and slowing the loss of brain cells
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For the study, the scientists bred some of the mice to prevent impairment and allow autophagy to occur. This protected those mice from a buildup of toxic proteins.
Then, the research team administered maraviroc to mice with Huntington’s disease for four weeks, starting when they were 2 months old. They reported a significant reduction in the number of Huntington protein aggregates.
However, because the disease only manifests mild symptoms by 12 weeks, it was too soon to tell if the drug would have any impact. The scientists also used this treatment in mice with dementia, reducing the number of tau aggregates in the brain. The mice were given an object recognition test, and the treated group performed better, suggesting that the treatment slowed memory loss.
Maraviroc has been approved by the FDA to treat HIV. Repurposing the drug means that it has already gone through safety trials, which can make it faster and cheaper to develop.
