Novel Drug Prevents Amyloid Plaques, a Hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease
In animal models, the new compound modulated a key enzyme, reducing or eliminating production of problematic protein fragments; human clinical trials needed
March 02, 2021
| Scott LaFee
News_release
Amyloid plaques are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) — clumps of misfolded proteins that accumulate in the brain, disrupting and killing neurons and resulting in the progressive cognitive impairment that is characteristic of the widespread neurological disorder.
In a new study, published March 2, 2021 in the
Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and elsewhere have identified a new drug that could prevent AD by modulating, rather than inhibiting, a key enzyme involved in forming amyloid plaques.