Is passive immunization for Alzheimer's disease 'alive and well' or 'dead and buried'?

Background: Passive immunization strategies are under investigation as potential disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Current approaches, based on data demonstrating behavioral improvement and reduced pathology in transgenic animal models, have focused exclusively on immune targeting of beta-amyloid. Objective: To examine immunization strategies for AD. Methods: A review of relevant publications. Results/conclusions: Preliminary results from three Phase II trials suggest both the promise and the need to exercise caution with this method of immunotherapy. The strategies used were distinct, using monoclonal N-terminal, central epitope, and polyclonal antibodies to maximize the efficacy and safety of each approach. The tested compounds are moving into Phase III trials for mild to moderate AD. We await the discoveries that from these studies that may yield the first disease-modifying therapy for AD.