Looking Past Amyloid – The Future of Alzheimer’s Therapeutics

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One of the key therapeutic targets in Alzheimer’s disease is amyloid, a sticky protein that builds up in clumps outside neurons, causing cell death and cognitive decline. However, new therapeutics targeting the protein have only shown mild efficacy in delaying disease progression. As a result, drug developers are looking for other biological targets.

According to Katherine Ellen Foley and David Lim, “Some of those treatments go after tau, a protein also thought to contribute to cognitive decline. Tangles of tau often develop after patients develop clumps of amyloid, but they persist even after amyloid is removed. Some of these treatments in mid-stage trials aim to remove tau tangles, while others try to prevent the brain from producing the protein.”

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(Source: Politico, June 27^th, 2023)