title: Targeting the β secretase BACE1 for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
abstract: The β secretase, widely known as β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), initiates the production of the toxic amyloid β (Aβ) that plays a crucial early part in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. BACE1 is a prime therapeutic target for lowering cerebral Aβ concentrations in Alzheimer's disease, and clinical development of BACE1 inhibitors is being intensely pursued. Although BACE1 inhibitor drug development has proven challenging, several promising BACE1 inhibitors have recently entered human clinical trials. The safety and efficacy of these drugs are being tested at present in healthy individuals and patients with Alzheimer's disease, and will soon be tested in individuals with presymptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Although hopes are high that BACE1 inhibitors might be efficacious for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease, concerns have been raised about potential mechanism-based side-effects of these drugs. The potential of therapeutic BACE1 inhibition might prove to be a watershed in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Riqiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: r-vassar@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vassar
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000209:etiology; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human