CONy 2022 | Reducing the risk of dementia in APOE carriers with antiviral therapy

Ruth Itzhaki, MSc, PhD, MA, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, discusses the prophylactic potential of antiviral therapy to prevent people infected with herpes simplex virus and carry the apolipoprotein E-ε4 (APOE) gene from developing dementia. Current trials utilize drugs that inhibit DNA replication and Prof. Itzhaki highlights using treatments with alternative mechanisms of action such as anti-inflammatory drugs or ones that prevent viral entry. She additionally suggests conducting a long-term clinical trial assessing the efficacy of prophylactic antiviral therapy in patients with herpes. This interview was conducted during the 2022 World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) meeting.