Breakthrough as two FDA-approved drugs (letrozole and irinotecan) are found to reverse Alzheimer’s — including restoring memory (Jul 2025, mice) Cell-type-directed network-correcting combination therapy for Alzheimer’s disease Study

[EpilepsyFMTcure]

• https://nypost.com/2025/07/27/health/breakthrough-as-two-fda-approved-drugs-are-found-to-reverse-alzheimers-including-restoring-memory/
• https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00737-8

"In what one researcher called a “mock clinical trial,” they then mined 1.4 million patients’ medical records, finding that those who had taken letrozole or irinotecan for cancer were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s."

So looks like they're using AI to comb through medical data and see what drugs have "off label" function. I'd be EXTREMELY interested to know if FMT exists in their database as a treatment or "drug."

"Both drugs are already FDA‑approved for other uses, which could dramatically speed up the path to human trials.

However, because they are cancer drugs, repurposing them may be complex and risky.

This finding adds to a growing number of potential Alzheimer’s treatments.

A compound found in rosemary and sage — carnosic acid — has been shown to reverse memory loss and reduce brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer’s, bringing their cognitive function back to near-normal levels."

Highlights​

• Human transcriptomic and drug repurposing analyses identify letrozole and irinotecan for AD
• Real-world EMR data reveal lower AD risks in patients exposed to letrozole or irinotecan
• Letrozole and irinotecan combination therapy improves memory and pathology in AD models
• Transcriptomic reprogramming represents a promising strategy for treating complex diseases

Summary​

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by heterogeneous molecular changes across diverse cell types, posing significant challenges for treatment development. To address this, we introduced a cell-type-specific, multi-target drug discovery strategy grounded in human data and real-world evidence. This approach integrates single-cell transcriptomics, drug perturbation databases, and clinical records.

Using this framework, letrozole and irinotecan were identified as a potential combination therapy, each targeting AD-related gene expression changes in neurons and glial cells, respectively. In an AD mouse model with both Aβ and tau deposits, this combination therapy significantly improved memory performance and reduced AD-related pathologies compared with vehicle and single-drug treatments. Single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis confirmed that the therapy reversed disease-associated gene networks in a cell-type-specific manner.

These results highlight the promise of cell-type-directed combination therapies in addressing multifactorial diseases like AD and lay the groundwork for precision medicine tailored to patient-specific transcriptomic and clinical profiles.

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[Michael Harrop]

So looks like they're using AI to comb through medical data and see what drugs have "off label" function. I'd be EXTREMELY interested to know if FMT exists in their database as a treatment or "drug."

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You can email them and ask. There are two emails listed for the authors.