A study has suggested that one of the most influential studies on what causes Alzheimer’s disease is based on manipulated data.
A study conducted at the University of Minnesota in the USA in 2006 pointed to a type of protein known as amyloid beta proteins as the driving force behind the disease. The authors of the study said that mice injected with the protein continue to develop dementia-like memory problems. A large amount of time and effort has been spent trying to develop drugs that will clear amyloid beta in the brain to treat Alzheimer’s, but without convincing results. .
The U.S. government spent nearly $1.6 billion on projects that mentioned amyloids last year, which is about half of total Alzheimer’s funding. But the journal Science said yesterday it found “shockingly obvious” evidence that the results of the original study were altered.
COMPLAINTS ARE BEING REVIEWED
The mistake was made by Dr. Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Spotted by Matthew Schrag. He warned the US National Institutes of Health that dubious research had “the potential to mislead an entire field.”
“Amyloid protein is at the center of the most influential theory of how Alzheimer’s disease develops in the brain. However, the research questioned focuses on a very specific type of amyloid, and these claims do not jeopardize the vast majority of information gained over decades of research.
A spokesperson from the University of Minnesota said they are investigating complaints about the study.
