As new developments come out to treat Alzheimer’s Disease, some exchange traded funds (ETFs) can benefit. One such ETF is the HealthShares Neuroscience ETF (HHN). HHN invests in health care, life sciences and/or biotechnology companies that are considered part of the neuroscience industry. Companies included in the Neuroscience Index are engaged in the research, clinical development and/or commercialization of therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression. HHN’s expense ratio is 0.75%. Currently, HHN is down 13.2% for the last three months, having just launched in March.

One of HHN’s holdings, Elan Pharmaceuticals (ELN) is collaborating with Wyeth (WYE) on a clinical trial of a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease, reports Beth Piskora for Business Week. However, the trial was halted because several of the participants developed severe inflammation of the brain. On a positive note though, researchers saw that patients did exhibit a significant slowing of cognitive decline. The two companies are currently working on a new vaccine that hopefully will not include the side effect of brain inflammation.