Generation of auto-antibodies towards Alzheimer's disease vaccination

We developed a novel procedure to evoke anti-aggregating β-amyloid (Aβ) antibodies, using filamentous phages displaying only four amino acids EFRH of the β-amyloid peptide (AβP). This epitope was found to be the main regulatory site for fibril formation. For the first time, effective auto-antibodies have been obtained in guinea-pigs, which exhibit human identity in the AβP. Immunization through a phage-carrying epitope was found to be long-lasting, and no toxic effect caused by autoimmune response was detected in the challenged animal sections. These antibodies performed similarly to site-directed monoclonal antibodies and to antibodies raised against fibrillar Aβ in disaggregation of plaques, and may serve as the basis for developing an anti-Aβ vaccine.