Immunotherapy for neurodegenerative diseases: the Alzheimer's disease paradigm

Neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by the progressive accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates that eventually lead to the loss of selected neuronal populations. Immunotherapy has been shown in the recent years as a promising approach for targeting, clearing, and reducing the accumulation of protein aggregates. Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, has been the focus of numerous immunotherapeutic studies because the extracellular nature of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The aim of the current work is to dissect the state-of-the-art of anti-Aβ immunotherapy for AD. The rationale behind anti-Aβ antibodies, what has happened in clinical trials, and which strategies have been designed to avoid side-effects and improve the efficacy of those antibodies are presented.