Harnessing the immune system to clear protein aggregates was one of the earliest and most exciting therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease, and numerous immunotherapy approaches targeting both amyloid and tau have since been developed. [88] However, while immunological interventions targeting amyloid have been in trials since 2000, treatments specifically targeting tau have only begun to be tested in humans in the last five years. Active immunization provides an attractive therapeutic approach as it potentially would require fewer administrations by inducing a sustained autologous antibody response, and if effective it could potentially be used as a preventative agent in a manner similar to vaccines currently available for a host of infectious diseases. Additionally, unlike passive immunization, treatment effect would not be limited by the generation of anti-drug antibodies [89].
