title: Considering a new paradigm for Alzheimer's disease research.
abstract: Using Alzheimer's disease as a case study, this review argues that it might be time to consider a new paradigm in medical research and drug discovery. The existing framework is overly dependent on often unvalidated animal models, particularly transgenic mice. Translational success remains elusive and costly late-stage drug failure is common. The conventional paradigm tends to overlook species differences and assumes that animal-based findings are generally applicable to humans. Could pathways-based research using advanced human-specific models probed with new tools, including those of systems biology, take centre stage? The current transition in chemical toxicology to a 21st-century paradigm could be a model for health research, with probable medical and economic benefits.
authors.affiliation: 8 Crow Furlong, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 2HW, UK. Electronic address: sciencesources@btinternet.com.
authors.forename: Gillian R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Langley
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods