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ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

The road to Tau

Asceneuron plans to show power of tau in AD by first tackling Orphan tauopathy

March 2, 2015 8:00 AM UTC

Asceneuron S.A. is working to treat neurodegeneration by preventing formation of neurofibrillary tangles in the hopes this mechanism will fare better in treating Alzheimer's disease than amyloid-targeted products.

Neurofibrillary tangles arise when microtubule-associated protein tau (tau; MAPT; FTDP-17) aggregates into helical filaments and larger structures, a process associated with tau hyperphosphorylation. Glycosylation by enzymes such as O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) protects against tau hyperphosphorylation; however, this glycosylation is reversed by the enzyme O-linked N-acetylglucosaminidase (O-GlcNAcase)...