Alzheimer's breakthrough after drug treatment success

Researchers have hailed a breakthrough in the development of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s. Scientists have created a drug that works by targeting both key areas of a protein linked to the disease.

- NINA MASSEY

The study found that the medication, called RI-AG03, was effective at preventing the buildup of Tau proteins in both laboratory and fruit fly studies.

Lead author Dr Anthony Aggidis, a former postdoctoral research associate at Lancaster University and visiting researcher at the University of Southampton, said: “Our research represents an important step toward creating treatments that can prevent the progression of diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.

“By targeting both of the key areas on the Tau protein, this unique approach could help address the growing impact of dementia on society, providing a much-needed new option for treating these devastating diseases.”

Tau proteins help to stabilise the internal skeleton of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. But in Alzheimer’s disease, these proteins malfunction, clumping together to form tangles which clog the neurons. This stops them from getting the nutrients and signals they need to survive.