A Better Gamma-Secretase Inhibitor for the Treatment of Alzheimer ' s Disease

Gamma-secretase inhibitors block the formation of the amyloid-β associated with Alzheimer's disease, but to date they are just one more in a long line of failed attempts to produce a therapy for that condition by adjusting the operation of cellular metabolism in the disease state in some way. Existing pharmaceutical gamma-secretase inhibitors act too generally, causing significant disruption of essential mechanisms that far outweighs whatever benefit they might produce. Here, however, researchers claim to have established a much more specific gamma-secretase inhibitor, one that only disrupts the formation of amyloid-β and nothing else. Is this good enough to justify another run at this challenge? Time will tell. The most common neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in several brain regions. The leading hypothesis for its pathogenesis is the amyloid cascade - which suggests that the amyloid beta-protein, and particularly the amyloid-beta 42 peptide, initiates the disease process. An imbalance between the production and clearance of amyloid-beta results in the protein's aggregation into larger plaques that lead to the death of brain cells and the cognitive symptoms seen in Alzheimer patients. Several potential treatments have been developed that specifically target amyloid, but none have been effective in halting disease progression. Amyloid-beta is produced by the cleava...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs