New Treatment Hope for Alzheimer’s Shown by Genetic Study
The latest molecular pathway discovery revealed new drug targets that could be used to target Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at the Kings College London’s Institute of Psychiatry aimed to determine the role that the molecule clusterin played in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Levels of clusterin are high in the blood of an Alzheimer’s patient from the beginning of the disease. While it has been accepted that the disease is driven by the molecule amyloid, its specific mechanisms are still unknown.
This investigation began by analysing mouse brain cells created in a laboratory which indicated that the existence of amyloid changes the quantity of clusterin in these cells which then activated a signalling pathway. Following this activation, the clusterin switched the signalling pathway in the cells of this mouse model which increased the occurrence of tangle formation and cognitive defects. Findings also stated that this type of clusterin activity was present in the cells of patients with Alzeheimer’s disease but not those with other forms of dementia. The activation of the signalling pathway by clusterin could be studied further to develop new treatment for the disease.
This discovery is significant as there are no current Alzheimer’s disease treatments that focus on preventing the progression of the disease. Professor Simon Lovestone from the Institute who led this study 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.”
The authors of this study also suggest that findings from this study could be advanced using knowledge that is gained from cancer research. Recently, researchers at Dalhousie University also added to studies looking for a new approach to Alzheimer’s disease through their computer-aided design. With these developments in Alzheimer’s disease research, it is no wonder that consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicted that the EU market for these drugs should increase from a current value of $1.80 billion to $4.78 billion in 2019.
Senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan Aiswariya Chidambaramsaid: “These drugs are expected to offer potential benefits over conventional therapeutic options, as they are safer, more effective and aim to prevent or slow down disease progression rather than provide just symptomatic relief. Therefore, these new drugs are expected to command premium prices and fuel market growth.”