BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Moot point in AD

A master regulator means there's no need to pick a side in β-amyloid vs. tau

January 14, 2016 8:00 AM UTC

The longstanding β-amyloid vs. tau debate in Alzheimer's disease (AD) might turn out to be moot, according to findings from researchers at Emory University who identified a protease, AEP, that lies upstream of both pathways and acts as a master coordinator. The study raises the possibility a single agent could inhibit both processes, but leaves open the question of which pathway matters most to the pathology.

The field has battled over which of the two major hallmarks of the disease is the primary driver because mutations in both tau and APP - the protein cleaved to produce β-amyloid - are associated with familial forms of AD and both pathways produce toxic aggregates in sporadic AD...