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Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure. But research is progressing and English scientists announce the discovery of a treatment capable of preventing the aggregation of Tau proteins, responsible for cognitive symptoms in patients. A discovery that works on the Drosophila fly, for the moment.
According to figures from the Pasteur Institute, there will be more than 80 million Alzheimer’s patients around the world in 2030, a figure which could reach 150 million in 2050, if researchers do not discover a curative treatment for the disease. Things may be different, with the announcement of the discovery of a potential future treatment by a team of scientists from Lancaster, England.
A promising new avenue of research
Researchers were interested in the accumulation of the Tau protein, which triggers the onset of cognitive disorders in the affected subject. In healthy subjects, this protein plays an important role in the structure and maintenance of neurons.
But in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, the protein malfunctions and forms long twists. This creates neurofibrillary tangles that obstruct neurons and prevent them from receiving the nutrients and signals necessary for survival. Which gives rise to the symptoms of the disease.
By studying it in the Drosophila fly, scientists discovered that there are two specific “hot spots” (also called hotspots) in the Tau protein where this aggregation tends to occur. Based on this observation, scientists have developed a drug, a peptide inhibitor called RI-AG03. Objective: target these hot spots, in order to counter the appearance of cognitive disorders.
An extended life of two weeks for treated flies
Result: the treatment made it possible to inhibit neurodegeneration and extend the life of the flies by two weeks: “a significant extension given the lifespan of these insects” explains the researchers in a press release.
“There are two regions of the Tau protein that act like a zipper to allow it to aggregate. For the first time, we have a drug that effectively inhibits both of these regions. This dual targeting mechanism is important because it attacks the two domains that stimulate the aggregation of the Tau protein, which could pave the way for more effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease details the co-author of this work, Amritpal Mudher, professor of neuroscience at the University of Southampton.
Further studies are needed to confirm these results
Currently, there are treatments to act on the Tau protein and fight against its accumulation in brain structures. But they have “many side effects, because they can interfere with the functions of many other proteins” explains the lead author of this study, Dr Antoine Aggidis, former postdoctoral research associate at Lancaster University and researcher at the University of Southampton.
For now, however, researchers remain cautious. “This drug may be more targeted than other drugs currently being studied and we hope it will cause fewer toxic side effects.” says Richard Oakley, research director at the Alzheimer’s Society UK, the study’s funding body.
Before concluding: “It’s important to note that the study is in its early stages so we don’t yet know if it will be effective or safe in humans, but this is an exciting development and we are can’t wait to see where it takes us.”. They therefore now plan to test RI-AG03 in rodents, before perhaps one day carrying out clinical trials in humans.
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