Dominica Ministry of Health and PAHO strengthen clerical staff capacity in data analysis - Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Researchers developed a drug for Alzheimer's disease, and then discovered that the molecule already exists in human blood, and is found in lower levels in cognitively impaired people. Now the authors are exploring the peptide as a biomarker as well as a treatment. Sergey A. Kozin and colleagues designed a peptide to interfere with the growth of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) plaques in the brain. Preventing the formation of such plaques has been proposed as a way to prevent Alzheimer's disease or treat it in its earlier stages, in part because Aβ plaque formation is believed to precede and potentially cause the spread of toxic tau protein. Specifically, the authors sought to disrupt abnormal interactions between Aβ and zinc ions, an interaction thought to be key to the plaque formation process.