Scientists discover how to destroy toxic particles in Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s ‘world first’ as scientists discover how to destroy toxic particles in the brain that lead to the memory-robbing disorder

  • Cambridge University scientists along with a team in Sweden led the study 
  • They found a way to target the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells
  • Decades worth of scientific trials have so far failed to find a cure for Alzheimer’s 
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An Alzheimer’s ‘world first’ breakthrough could target the cause of the disease and lead to a new generation of drugs that could be in clinical trials in two years.

Cambridge University scientists along with a team in Sweden have discovered a new way to target the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells.

Decades worth of scientific trials have so far failed to find a cure for the memory-robbing disorder – the most common form of dementia.

Professor Michele Vendruscolo, of Cambridge, said: ‘All the previous clinical trials that have focused on finding drugs to modify the disease have failed.


Cambridge University scientists along with a team in Sweden have discovered a new way to target the toxic particles that destroy healthy brain cells (stock)

‘The trials that have succeeded have given us a handful of drugs, but these drugs can only treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, not its onset and progression.

‘As the pathogens have now been identified as small clumps of proteins known as oligomers, we have been able to develop a strategy to aim drugs at these toxic particles.

‘This approach enables a new drug discovery strategy.

‘This is the first time that a systematic method to go after the pathogens, the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, has been proposed.’

She added: ‘We have devised the first strategy to go after the cause of the disease, leading to hope that new drugs can be be developed.’

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Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK and the cost of dementia is expected to more than double in the next 25 years, from £26 billion to £55 billion.

Scientists have identified abnormal deposits called protein oligomers as the most likely cause of dementia.

Although proteins are normally responsible for important cell processes, in Alzheimer’s disease these proteins become rogue, form clumps and kill healthy nerve cells. 

Alzheimer’s disease leads to the death of nerve cells and tissue loss throughout the brain.

Over time, the brain dramatically shrinks and the cell destruction causes memory failure, personality changes, and problems carrying out daily activities.

Proteins need to fold properly to be effective and when they misfold, dangerous deposits called plaques form which the brain can’t shift and cause dementia.

The plaques build up between nerve cells stopping them from signalling properly. As the nerve cells die, they twist, causing even more damage as they block nutrients and supplies to other cells.

The research was carried out by a team of scientists including Lund University in Sweden and also included Professor Sir Christopher Dobson, Master of St John’s College, University of Cambridge, at the Centre for Misfolding Diseases (CMD).

Their research paper has been published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Sir Christopher said: ‘This interdisciplinary study shows that it is possible not just to find compounds that target the toxic oligomers that give rise to neurodegenerative disorders but also to increase their potency in a rational manner.

‘It now makes it possible to design molecules that have specific effects on the various stages of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and hopefully to convert them into drugs that can be used in a clinical environment.’ 

WHAT IS ALZHEIMER’S?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. 

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death.

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. 

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. 

The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. 

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call 

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior 
  • Eventually lose ability to walk
  • May have problems eating 
  • The majority will eventually need 24-hour care   

 Source: Alzheimer’s Association

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