Discovery of Alzheimer’s Protein Structure Could Lead to New Treatments

Vanderbilt University investigators say the molecular structure of a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease – and the discovery that it binds cholesterol – could create new therapeutics for the disease, according to a report in June 1 issue of the journal Science.

Charles Sanders, PhD, professor of biochemistry, and his colleagues in the Center for Structural Biology have determined the structure of part of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) – the source of amyloid-beta, which is believed to trigger Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid-beta clumps together into oligomers that kill neurons, resulting in dementia and memory loss. The amyloid-beta oligomers eventually form plaques in the brain – one of the main characteristics of the disease. For more information, click here to read the full release.