Summary of Groundbreaking New Treatment Developed for Alzheimer’s Disease:
Professor Shai Rahimipour from Bar-Ilan University in Israel has developed a molecule to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest pre-symptomatic stages. This innovative approach aims to prevent the irreversible brain cell damage caused by the disease, and has gained recognition in the scientific community. Over 55 million people were living with Alzheimer’s in 2020, and this figure is projected to almost double every 20 years. Most drugs developed to treat Alzheimer’s have failed, as they target the wrong biomarkers and individuals already exhibiting signs of the disease. Rahimipour’s approach utilizes theranostics to identify and treat the initial pre-symptomatic indications of the disease, and has been tested in animal models with promising results. The molecule has the potential to detect the onset of the disease before the formation of amyloid fibrils and plaques, and before the appearance of any symptoms. The research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Rahimipour is now working on the development of an appropriate drug for pre-clinical and clinical trials.
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Theranostics to Identify and Treat Early Pre-Symptomatic Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Introduction
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 55 million people worldwide. It is estimated that by 2050, this number will reach 139 million. Unfortunately, most drugs developed to treat Alzheimer’s disease have failed, largely because they target the wrong biomarkers and individuals already exhibiting signs of the disease. Professor Shai Rahimipour from the Chemistry Department at Bar-Ilan University in Israel has pioneered a different approach utilizing theranostics to pinpoint and treat the earliest, pre-symptomatic signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Role of Amyloid Beta Oligomers
In Alzheimer’s disease, a small protein known as amyloid beta misfolds to intermediates that aggregate into larger macromolecular structures known as fibrils and plaques. For a long time, scientists believed that these plaques were responsible for damaging neurons in Alzheimer’s disease etiology. However, it is now known that earlier soluble intermediates known as oligomers are the culprits in this insidious disease.
The Development of Cyclic Peptides
Rahimipour and his team have developed small abiotic and drugable cyclic peptides that have proven effective in animal models in diagnosing early pre-symptomatic stage of Alzheimer’s and treating the disease by targeting oligomers. When these molecules were combined in a test tube with the small protein amyloid beta, the generation of oligomers was completely blocked, and no subsequent aggregation occurred. In addition, when transgenic C. elegans worms were fed with the cyclic peptides, the survival of the worms was dramatically extended and the appearance of the disease was abolished by preventing the formation of early toxic oligomers.
The Use of PET Imaging
The researchers then examined transgenic mice using a radioactive version of the cyclic peptides to obtain a pre-symptomatic diagnosis through Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a technique commonly used in hospitals. Much to their delight, the molecule detected for the first time early amyloid beta oligomers in the thalamus of pre-symptomatic mice prior to their spread to other brain parts.
Treating Pre-Symptomatic Mice
The transgenic mice in the pre-symptomatic stage were treated with the cyclic peptides and observed over time for memory functions and amount of amyloid beta oligomers in the brain. Through molecular imaging, the researchers determined that the mice didn’t generate substantial amounts of oligomers and, consequently, didn’t develop any sign of Alzheimer’s.
Conclusion
Prof. Rahimipour’s research has shown promise in stopping the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease before onset of irreversible brain cell damage. His innovative approach has gained substantial recognition in the scientific community and could potentially revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease. The development of a drug based on the cyclic peptides is currently underway and may soon provide a new hope for those affected by this devastating condition.
