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Development of an Enzyme-based Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
University of Kentucky This technology involves the use of enzymes (peptidases) to prevent the accumulation of the amyloid beta peptides that cause Alzheimer's disease. In Alzheimer's disease these amyloid beta peptides accumulate in the brain with aging and cause the cell death associated with the disease. The current treatment for the disease is to delay the loss of memory and cognition associated with brain cell loss by prolonging the lifetime of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This approach does not affect the progression of the disease it only delays the symptoms. As a new approach toward treating Alzheimer’s disease we have developed a novel technology whereby the amyloid beta peptides are enzymatically broken down in blood resulting in a lowering of the amyloid beta peptides in the brain. This lowering of brain amyloid beta peptides is thought to occur as a result of disrupting the dynamic process whereby amyloid beta peptides are transported into and out of the brain by active transport processes. Enzymatically degrading the amyloid beta peptides in blood prevents reentry into the brain. This results in a lowering of brain amyloid peptide levels by establishing a unidirectional system, which “drains” the amyloid peptides from the brain.
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