Alzheimer's, Parkinson's may respond to same drug treatment
by Jean McCann
BAR HARBOR, Maine, Jul 27, 2000 (Reuters Health) - The possibility of a
common drug treatment for both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's
disease was held forth here at a science writers' seminar sponsored by
Jackson Laboratories.
Dr. Dennis J. Selkoe of Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts,
pointed out that what these two diseases have in common, along with
some other neurodegenerative diseases, is the aggregation of abnormally
folded proteins in the brain. "The search is on" for oral compounds that
would prevent such pathology, Dr. Selkoe said.
He reported that a number of pharmaceutical companies are now
investigating anti-aggregation compounds that would prevent the plaques
and tangles of Alzheimer's disease or the Lewy bodies that are
characteristic of Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.
"I myself have been screening small peptides to see if they inhibit the
aggregation of beta-amyloid protein," Dr. Selkoe said, adding that the
peptides are as small as two, three or four amino acids. "Until now,
this
has been investigated protein by protein," he said.
Dr. Selkoe commented that although the apolipoprotein E e4 allele has
been associated with Alzheimer's disease, he believes that it acts as a
modifying agent that increases risk, rather than as a causative agent.
Copyright © 2000 Reuters Limited. or delays
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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