FDA-approved Alzheimer's Drug Lecanemab Could Prevent Free-floating Amyloid Beta Fibrils from Damaging the Brain
Published:20 Jun.2023 Source:Cell Press
For the first time, researchers described the structure of a special type of amyloid beta plaque protein associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. In a report published May 10 in the journal Neuron, scientists showed the small aggregates of the amyloid beta protein could float through the brain tissue fluid, reaching many brain regions and disrupting local neuron functioning. The research also provided evidence that a newly approved AD treatment could neutralize these small, diffusible aggregates.
Stern, Selkoe, and their team successfully isolated the free-floating amyloid beta aggregates by soaking postmortem brain tissues from typical AD patients in saline solutions, which were then spun at high speed. These tiny aggregates of amyloid beta protein access important brain structures such as the hippocampus, which plays a major role in memory. Working with colleagues at the Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, they determined the atomic structure of these tiny aggregates, down to the individual atom.
Next, the team plans to observe how these tiny amyloid beta aggregates travel through living animal brains and study how the immune system responds to these toxic substances. Recent research has shown that the brain's immune system reaction to amyloid beta is a key component of AD.