Doctor Bomb: Chemical found the button that stops ... - Gazeta Wyborcza

still much work to researchers, before on the basis of this discovery created a useful drug, but if it succeeds, it will be a Doctor Bomb.

Roger Professor Morris of King ‘s College London, commented to the BBC – I expect that this discovery will be evaluated by history as a turning point in the search for cure for Alzheimer’s disease. I’m very excited. Finally we have the first evidence – derived from live animals – that can delay the process of neurodegenerative diseases or even keep it. The world has not changed since it immediately, but this study is groundbreaking.

discovered by a British team at the University of Leicester. Scientists, looking for a way to novel therapy, focused on natural defense mechanisms that are “embedded” in our cells, even in the brain.

What is this defense? When viruses invade cells, penetrate into them and use the cellular machinery to produce proteins that make their own proteins. Same can not. Cells have therefore built a special “program”, which aims to prevent such exploitation.

They react immediately – in case you just turn off the production of almost all new proteins in the cell, both viral and i .. own. In this way, prevent the proliferation of the virus and its spread. They give the immune system time to strike. A after a while things get back to normal – cell re-start the production line for making proteins.

take a similar defensive tactics in the fight cell with different diseases that destroy brain tissue, ie such as Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s taupati?, Multiple sclerosis or Huntington’s Disease. During the development of these diseases arise, among others proteins that are incorrectly folded (a protein to perform its function well, it must roll the ball right – adopt a specific spatial form). In taupatii produced pathological tau protein, the prion diseases – the prion proteins, and in the case of Alzheimer’s disease is the b-amyloid, and Parkinson’s disease – a-synuclein.

pathological accumulation of such proteins is toxic to nerve cells. So they run the same path as defense against viruses. Block the production of its proteins. The problem is that, unlike in the case of virus blocking the production line here is prolonged.

Mobile suspends their own processes and, consequently, literally starved to death. This is the direct cause of the degeneration of neurons in these diseases. The cells both in the brain and in the spinal cord die and the person loses cognitive functions has trouble getting around in the end also dies. Neurons difficult to regenerate, so it is a devastating disease impact.

What is the discovery? Scientists from Leicester has managed to disrupt the process of “switching” cell-natural defense against faulty protein.

study involved two groups of rodents. All animals were beginning prion neurodegenerative diseases. Those that are not given an experimental compound called GSK2606414 (PERK kinase inhibitor), later began to have problems with memory and movement. There could, for example the same turn from the back to the belly. After 12 weeks of neuronal loss was driving them to death. However, rodents that were given oral GSK2606414, did not have any (!) Clinical signs.

Control studies prof. Giovanna Mallucci explained BBC – Mice were quite good, healthy. It’s incredible!

Unbelievably rare as to convince inherently conservative scholars to label the results of studies in mice turning point in human therapy. Tests are a very early stage, there are people in good measure studied the disease prions and Alzheimer’s is not a murine counterpart. So why the excitement?

First of all, this is the first case in the history of science when he was able to completely stop any disease neurodegradacyjn?. There is no doubt that similar research will take now dozens scientists and laboratories around the world. What company does not want to have in your inventory cure for Alzheimer’s disease?

In addition to this process, which has managed to block a scholar universal phenomenon, so there is the chance of this method, different treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

The problem is, of course, the side effects of the measure. It turned out that the effect on the pancreas as well, which causes the mice develop moderate symptoms of diabetes. Animals lose weight. While authors emphasize that both the diabetes, and weight loss are not severe, and the animals are in good shape, it is in humans the drug must act only on brain. The more that likely will be taken from patients years.

– this relationship does not apply to humans, but at least we know what we’re working on to create appropriate for human therapy. It’s a great start – explains prof. Mallucci.

Her laboratory has tested a new agent on mice with other diseases neurodegradacyjnymi, but so far there is no news whether this treatment also in this case it works.

Research published “Science Translational Medicine “.