Potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease would be relatively cheap

Potential new treatment for Alzheimer's disease would be relatively cheap
Neprilysin (red) and Aβ (green) levels in the hippocampus of Alzheimer’s disease model mice. Top: control. Bottom: after being fed diazoxide. After diazoxide treatment, neprilysin levels increased and Aβ levels decreases. Mice also performed better on memory tests (not shown here). Credit: RIKEN

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) in Japan have discovered that the protein α-endosulfine (ENSA) is involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Studies in mice showed that eliminating this protein entirely or using drugs to block its function reduced physical changes in the brain associated with the disease and improved memory. Drug therapy that aims to block ENSA activity could be a more effective treatment than what is currently available, as well as being…

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