Measurable Amyloid Buildup Occurs Significantly Before Alzheimer ' s Disease

Named and formally recognized age-related diseases are the late stages of processes of damage that start much earlier in life. So it is never a surprise to see that specific forms of damage strongly associated with any one specific age-related disease can be detected in smaller amounts earlier in old age, and that the people with more of that damage have a higher risk of later exhibiting the disease state. In the case of the research materials noted here, the disease is Alzheimer's, and the damage is accumulation of amyloid-β, a form of misfolded protein that accumulates in the brain. It and its surrounding halo of chemical interactions disrupt the correct function of brain cells, ultimately causing significant neurodegeneration. The obvious solution here is to try to remove the amyloid, and in fact the Alzheimer's research community has and continues to spend considerable effort on this goal. It is one of the few areas where mainstream aging research aligns with the goals of the SENS rejuvenation research programs: identify the root cause damage that produces differences between old and young tissue, and repair it. Sadly, safe and effective clearance of amyloid has proven to be far more challenging than hoped. The field is littered with failed attempts, largely forms of immunotherapy, and only in the past couple of years have there been signs of success in human trials. Nonetheless, removing amyloid, and then expanding efforts to other forms of repair therapy, is the...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs