title: beta-Amyloid as a molecular therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, primarily affecting individuals during or after their sixth decade of life. Despite decades of research, there are still no effective disease-modifying drugs available to treat this neurodegenerative disorder. Current FDA-approved medications primarily offer symptomatic relief and are based upon known neurotransmitter deficits. There are, however, many drugs in preclinical and clinical development which target other aspects of AD pathogenesis. Principal among these are drugs which modulate beta-amyloid, a protein that is believed to be central to the cascade which leads to the development of Alzheimer's disease. This article will outline the metabolism of beta-amyloid and review a number of different strategies, including pitfalls and future directions of such methods that are directed towards the modulation of this protein. It will become clear that beta-amyloid represents a potent molecular target for pharmacological manipulation to perhaps prevent the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: The Oxidation Disorders Laboratory, The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. padlard@mhri.edu.au
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Adlard
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Ashley I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bush
authors.forename: Colin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Masters
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor