Scientists have found a new drug treatment that can slow the progression of neurodegenerative disease in mice. The breakthrough research may offer fresh hope in tackling currently untreatable conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The study—led by researchers at the University of Glasgow’s new Advanced Research Center (ARC) and published today in Science Signaling —found that by using a novel drug, which selectively activates a brain protein called the M1-receptor, the lifespan of mice suffering from neurodegeneration could be extended. The M1-receptor is a key brain protein, involved in memory and learning in people, and is an important potential target for neurodegenerative disease treatment.
Currently, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease, affecting more then 850,000 people in the U.K. and over 55 million worldwide. The study demonstrates how many of the features of human Alzheimer’s disease, including memory loss and inflammation of the brain, could be treated in mice when they were given the new drug, known as a positive allosteric modulator (M1-PAM). The breakthrough described in this study indicates that, beyond treating symptoms, M1-PAMs may also be able to slow the overall progression of the disease.
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