Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by gradual cognitive decline 
associated with deterioration of daily living activities and behavioral 
disturbances throughout the course of the disease, is estimated to affect 27 
million people around the world. It is expected that the illness will affect 
about 63 million people by 2030, and 114 million by 2050, worldwide. Current 
Alzheimer's disease medications may ease symptoms for a time but are not capable 
of slowing down disease progression. Indeed, all currently available therapies, 
such as cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine), are 
primarily considered symptomatic therapies, although recent data also suggest 
possible disease-modifying effects. Gantenerumab is an investigational fully 
human anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibody with a high capacity to bind and 
remove beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. This compound, currently undergoing 
Phase II and III clinical trials represents a promising agent with a 
disease-modifying potential in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we present an overview 
of gantenerumab ranging from preclinical studies to human clinical trials.