A scientific study published this Tuesday, August 5, 2014 in the journal PLoS Biology has just highlighted the effectiveness of a molecule in the fight against Alzheimer’s diseasein a mouse animal model.
TC-2153 is a molecule that successfully inhibited the negative effects of tyrosine phosphatase (or STEP, an enzyme protein), enriched in the striatum.
Indeed, too high a concentration of STEP protein harms the synaptic receptors (allowing communication between neurons), and thus prevents the transformation of the memory short-term to long-term memory. STEP therefore deteriorates the cognitive functions of patients with Alzheimer’s.
Also, the new molecule TC-2153 made it possible to inhibit these harmful effects in affected mice, giving them results in cognitive tests similar to those of healthy mice.
“This small molecule inhibitor is the result of five years of effort to find a STEP protein inhibitor” explains Professor Paul Lombroso, co-author of the study.
This more than encouraging molecule will however have to prove itself on other animal models closer to humans before possibly being considered as a therapeutic treatment. All in all, a good start, but which implies a few more years before ending up with a drug.
Source :
Inhibitor of the Tyrosine Phosphatase STEP Reverses Cognitive Deficits in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease, Jian Xu, Manavi Chatterjee, Tyler D. Baguley, Jonathan Brouillette, Pradeep Kurup, Debolina Ghosh, Jean Kanyo, Yang Zhang, Kathleen Seyb, Chimezie Ononenyi, Ethan Foscue, George M. Anderson, Jodi Gresack, Gregory D. Cuny, Marcie A. Glicksman, Paul Greengard, TuKiet T. Lam, Lutz Tautz, Angus C. Nairn, Jonathan A. Ellman, Paul J. Lombroso
