BACE1 Deletion Eliminates Amyloid Deposits in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer ' s Disease

BACE1 is one of the proteins involved in early stages of the production of amyloid-β, a form of metabolic waste that aggregates into solid deposits in the aging brain, and is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. Inhibition of BACE1 so as to reduce levels of amyloid-β is a strategy pursued by a number of research groups, though it has to be said that disenchantment with the years of failure in the dominant strategy of clearing amyloid-β appears to be reaching a tipping point these days. While it is clear that amyloid-β is harmful, it may not be the most effective point of intervention. Or perhaps earlier efforts to remove amyloid-β were not going about it in the right way, and different approaches would work. It is very hard to say, as the aging brain is a complex mix of many different, interacting forms of damage and dysfunction.

The research here can be read as strong support for the BACE1 inhibition approach to Alzheimer's disease, given the size of the effect, though the same questions remain as in any other success in reducing amyloid from the mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. If none of the others successfully translated to human therapies, and failed in trials, how confident or hopeful should we be here? A great many people are asking themselves exactly that these days, which is why we can observe the growth of support for the impaired cerebrospinal fluid drainage model of Alzheimer's disease, or the microbial model of the condition, and a range of furt...

Source: Fight Aging! - February 15, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs