[ad_1]
Preliminary tests of a new drug against Alzheimer's disease show promising results, said a head of the research team at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Xinhua news agency.
The drug, called ALI6, has been tested on primary mouse neurons and researchers have achieved promising results, Lin Jiang, a Chinese assistant professor of neurology, said Saturday.
"The next step is to test it in Mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, "he said. After a successful test on animals, we plan to move to a clinical trial on humans. "
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating disease characterized by memory deficits and general cognitive decline, is a protein called b-amyloid that accumulates in the brain, which forms "plaques." "and binds to unique proteins on the surface of brain cells, causing extensive cell death.
ALI6 can prevent b-amyloid plaques from attaching to brain cells and thus prevent significant cell death, said a UCLA press release, adding that the study had been published in the journal Nature Chemistry.
Jiang worked with his team to identify the binding site of the amyloid-b-amyloid plaque to its receptor by determining the three-dimensional structure. Then they used computer software to help them in the drug selection process.
In order to find molecular candidates for blocking the interaction between amyloid b cells and brain cells, the team examined more than 32,000 molecules, and a drug, namely ALI6, showed promising results in cellular experiments, according to the release.
The researchers cultured mouse brain cells and exposed them to toxic amyloid-β proteins. They also treated some cells with ALI6, which almost completely prevented cell death, suggesting that the drug could possibly be used to treat Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease affects about 48 million people worldwide and is expected to increase as the population ages. There is no effective treatment yet.
–IANS
ksk / mr
(This story has not been changed by Business Standard staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
[ad_2]
Source link
