HIV drug may help protect against build-up of dementia-related proteins – study

The researchers carried out their research using mice that had been genetically-altered to develop forms of Huntington’s disease, or a type of dementia characterised by the build-up of the tau protein.

An HIV drug may help protect against build-up of dementia-related proteins, scientists have said (David Davies/PA)

An existing HIV drug has been found to protect against the dangerous build-up of proteins in dementia, according to early-stage research.

Research by University of Cambridge scientists indicates how the brain’s ability to clear out toxic proteins is impaired in Huntington’s disease and other forms of dementia.