Brichos Molecule Could Potentially Slow Alzheimer’s Onset

the Psychiatry Advisor take:

A molecule that occurs naturally in the human body might be used to slow the build-up of beta-amyloid plaque, the substance thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease, potentially delaying onset of the disease.

Samuel Cohen, PhD, of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a study in mice with the molecule, called Brichos, which sticks onto amyloid threads, and stops them from forming additional clumps of plaque.

“It doesn’t stop the initial formation, but it stops it becoming a chain reaction,” Cohen told The Guardian newspaper.

Amyloid protein was injected into the brains of the mice, which reduced the level of electrical activity called “gamma waves” in the brain, an indication of the toxic nature of the amyloid. However, when the mice were then injected with amyloid along with the Brichos molecule, gamma wave activity was not impacted and was the same as that in healthy control mice, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The researchers cautioned, however, that Brichos would not work well as a drug because it would be absorbed into the body before it reaches the brain.  

“A good tactic now is to search for other molecules that have this same highly targeted effect and to see if these can be used as the starting point for developing a future therapy,” Cohen said.