Alzheimer's amyloid protein development halted in mice

18/5/2015

promising results from a new mouse study suggest there may be a way to halt the formation of a faulty protein that clogs up the brain in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and Cenna Biosciences, Inc. describe how they identified compounds that block the production of beta-amyloid peptides in mice.

The team suggests if the findings translate to humans, then the most promising of the new compounds - which they refer to as P8 - could be given to people at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease long before the signs of dementia appear.

Lead author NazneenDewji, an associate adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine at UCSD, says:

"We are blocking the actual production of beta-amyloid in a new way. It's very promising because it means that, in principle, we can stop the disease in its tracks."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/293269.php