News Home Print
June 12, 2008
New Class of Drugs May Fight Alzheimer’s by Preventing Buildup of Plaque in the Brain

A class of drugs called gamma-secretase modulators shows potential for treating Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
(Nature, June 12, 2008)
A hallmark of Alzheimer's is so-called amyloid plaque, which develops tangles in the brain. The gamma-secretase modulators reduce the production of long pieces of amyloid beta protein that stick together and form clumps. At the same time, the drugs increase the production of shorter amyloid beta that blocks longer amyloid beta from sticking together, the researchers explained. Gamma-secretase modulators is a subset of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, e.g. ibuprofen)
"We have discovered a novel mechanism of action for a class of drugs that are currently being tested as Alzheimer's disease therapeutics," said lead researcher Dr. Todd E. Golde, an associate professor at the Mayo Clinic Department of Neuroscience, in Jacksonville, Fla.
These new drugs don't work in the same way that many other drugs do, Golde said. "Sometimes we think of drugs as magic bullets targeting a single entity, but this drug, by the way it works, could have three consequences that could have a benefit for Alzheimer's disease," he said.
While the new compounds decrease the production of long chains of amyloid beta, Golde said, "Surprisingly, they increase the presence of shorter chains of amyloid beta, which we think actually prevents the accumulation of longer chains of amyloid beta."
"In a short form, amyloid beta is harmless as far as we know," he added.
"This finding could tell us how drugs for Alzheimer's disease already in clinical trials may be working," Golde said. One of the modulator drugs, tarenflurbil (Flurizan), was in a just-completed phase III clinical trial, and the results should be available this summer, he said.

Other news in this month

- Sleep Apnea Linked to Memory Loss June 27, 2008
- Teen Obesity Tied to death Risks in Middle-Age June 12, 2008
- New Class of Drugs May Fight Alzheimer's by Preventing Buildup of Plaque in the Brain June 12, 2008
- For Hospitalized Heart Failure Patients. June 11, 2008
- Bond Drug (Raloxifene) Prevents ER-Positive Breast Cancer. June 10, 2008
- Hypothermia for Head Trauma in Children June 5, 2008
- Family History of Colorectal Cancer May Improve Chance of Survival June 4, 2008
- Cocoa May Stave Off Cardiovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes June 3, 2008
- Hepatitis C & Depression June 3, 2008
- Pituitary Dysfunction Common in Retired Boxers. June 3, 2008
- Mom's Weight Gain May Affect Cleft Palate Risk in Offspring June 1, 2008
-Smoking During Pregnancy Increases Risk of SIDSJune 1, 2008
- Blood Sugar Level Important in Diabetes-Free People. June, 2008
- Periiodontal Disease Increases Cancer Risk June, 2008