BiotechMashup

A compound that previously progressed to Phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment slows neurological damage and improves brain function in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. The compound epothilone D is effective in preventing further neurological damage and improving cognitive performance in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results establish how the drug might be used in early-stage AD patients.

(University of South Florida (USF Health)) Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, reports a new study published online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, reports a new study.

A team of scientists has synthesized hundreds of new compounds with the potential of reducing the production of the A-beta 42 peptide, a primary component of Alzheimer's disease. In mouse models, one tested compound specifically reduced levels of A-beta 42, which is believed to be responsible for the destruction of neurons, but left other essential enzymatic activities in the brain unaffected.

by Smita Majumder, Arlan Richardson, Randy Strong, Salvatore Oddo

Using a new mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found that Alzheimer's pathology originates in amyloid-beta (Abeta) oligomers in the brain, rather than the amyloid plaques previously thought by many researchers to cause the disease.

A team of researchers has discovered that the protein that forms plaques in the brain in Alzheimer's disease also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome. The new findings in Down syndrome show that the toxic protein, known as amyloid-beta, that causes Alzheimer's pathology in the brain also leads to distinctive cataracts in the eyes. The discovery is leading the researchers to develop an innovative eye test for early detection of Alzheimer's pathology in both disorders.

Current Alzheimer's disease research indicates that accumulation of amyloid-beta (AB) protein plaques in the brain is central to the development of AD. While previously presence of these plaques could only be confirmed at autopsy. Positron emission tomography provides researchers with an opportunity to test the amyloid hypothesis as it occurs in living patients. A new study summarizes the results of experiments using the AB tracer Pittsburgh Compound-B.

(Society for Neuroscience) A compound that previously progressed to Phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment slows neurological damage and improves brain function in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the March 14 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest the drug epothilone D may one day prove useful for treating people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.