| News from Alzheimer Week of Jan. 28, 2001 / Vol. 1 No. 01 |
|
Scientists Probe Role of Secretase In Alzheimer's |
| What
some researchers believe may turn out to be a significant advancement
in the potential treatment of Alzheimer's Disease is being pursued
by several pharmaceutical companies producing drugs to inhibit secretase
formation.
Scientists at Bristol Myers Squibb in Connecticut and at SIBIA Neurosciences in California recently discovered that gamma secretase and a similar enzyme called beta secretase are involved in the development of the disease, along with the abnormal buildup of a protein called beta amyloid. Amyloid makes up the scarlike plaques found in the brain of patients suffering from the disease. Development of secretase inhibitors is proceding cautiously as the enzymes may very well play an important role in other cellular metabolists, and suppressing them may cause potentially harmful side effects. Dr. Kenneth Kosik, noted Harvard University neurologist, predicts that controlling Alzheimer's Disease will necessitate the use of various drugs, not only secretase inhibitors but ones who prevent nerve cell tangles. Other sources: Time Magazine |
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