Alzheimer's breakthrough offers treatment hope
Wednesday November 21st, 2012
British scientists say they have made a major discovery about the biology of Alzheimer's disease - opening up hope of new treatments.
The
researchers say they have put together the full chemical process linking
genetic and biological discoveries about the disease.
The research shows how the clusterin gene works to create "tangles" in brain cells.
And it also shows how the molecule amyloid, long linked to Alzheimer's, alters quantities of the clusterin protein.
The researchers, from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, say their studies, on laboratory mice, also show that clusterin is unique to Alzheimer's disease compared with other kinds of dementia.
The research, backed by the Wellcome Trust, is reported in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
The researchers say they have already tested techniques that could block the biological reactions that cause the disease.
Researcher Dr Richard Killick said: "This is the first time we've been able to connect the molecular mechanisms behind the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain with the formation of tangles inside the brain cells, two of the defining features of Alzheimer's disease.
"Our research has given the most detailed picture yet of how the disease progresses and we hope it will offer leads for the development of new treatments."
Fellow researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said: "We have shown that we can block the toxic effects of amyloid when we stop this signalling pathway in brain cells grown in the lab. We believe that if we could block its activity in the brains of Alzheimer's patients too, we may have an opportunity to halt the disease in man.
"Indeed, we have already begun our own drug development programme to do just that and are at the stage where potential compounds are coming back to us for further testing."
Dr John Williams, of the Wellcome Trust, added: "This study gives us a much-needed additional insight to the complex biology that contributes to the development of Alzheimer's, which is vital if we are to develop new treatments that are so urgently needed."
Tags: Brain & Neurology | Elderly Health | Genetics | Mental Health | UK News
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