Cancer Drug May Also Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Comfort Keepers are experts on elderly care in Santa Clarita, and we are always doing our part in staying current with groundbreaking research on geriatrics. Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the most common diseases impacting the elderly, and researchers have discovered an already approved cancer drug that may be effective at preventing its development.
What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer ’s Disease is a degenerative neurological condition that occurs when amyloid-beta proteins clump together into plaques, which damage the neurons in the brain. Finding a way to prevent or reverse this process is the potential key to treating this disease. Researchers honed in on the compound bexarotene and found the possibility of halting the disease if administered when the warning signs are present. Scientists focused on finding a way to prevent the self-assembly of amyloid-beta-42 proteins, by searching through a small-molecule database to find compounds that are likely to prevent the aggregation of these proteins through nucleation- which prevents proteins from folding in on themselves.
How Can This Drug Work Against Alzheimer’s?
Scientists revisited their original trials which had failed, and found that their lack of success may have been in part due to a lack of knowledge about how amyloid-beta proteins form plaques. In a paper published by the same group of scientists, they suggest the possibility of a “secondary nucleation” stage which catalyzes the formation of further plaques. The previous trials are thought to have failed since they targeted preventing secondary nucleation, rather than primary nucleation from occurring in the first place.
Prevention May Be Possible
In their most recent study, scientists administered bexarotene to the larval stage of model lab organisms, and found that the development of plaques was completed averted. Although this research has not yet been tested on humans, the results are a promising conclusion to possibly prevent Alzheimer’s Disease in the future.
Alzheimer’s is a common disease that impacts Santa Clarita seniors and their family members. Comfort Keepers are the experts on senior in-home care for Santa Clarita, and we keep you informed on the most current scientific advancements, to help you find the best care options for your elderly loved ones.
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23900 Lyons Avenue
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
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