The "Big Bang" in the study of tau protein
Scientists have found out how Alzheimer's disease appears
Scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have made a breakthrough in the study of Alzheimer's disease - they managed to establish the moment of the origin of the disease. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal eLife (Mirbaha et al., Inert and seed-competent tau monomers suggest structural origins of aggregation).
In Alzheimer's disease, "tangles" of tau protein form in the brain of patients, which destroy brain cells. Previously, it was believed that the tau protein itself is not dangerous, only its clots are dangerous.
Scientists have debunked this version by discovering the starting point of the disease – this is the moment when a healthy tau protein becomes toxic, but has not yet formed deadly tangles. At this stage, it is possible to observe molecular changes in the structure of tau proteins, after which they begin to stick together, and then damage neurons.
"We regard this as a "Big Bang" in the study of tau protein. This is a way to look into the very beginning of the disease process," said the study's lead author Mark Diamond (in a press release The 'Big Bang' of Alzheimer's – VM).
Thus, now scientists will be able to develop new diagnostic methods and detect pathology even before the obvious signs of the disease appear. Researchers believe that it is possible to prevent the adhesion of tau proteins into tangles, and this will slow down the development of the disease.
They cite the example of the drug tafamide for the treatment of cardiac pathologies, which blocks the protein transthyretin, which changes shape and causes the formation of deadly clusters in the heart. The analogy with tau protein is obvious, so researchers hope to create a similar drug to save the brain.
"If this works, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease can be significantly reduced," Diamond concluded.
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