Early investigational drugs targeting tau protein for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is a significant burden to society. With continual expansion of our understanding of the disease, novel therapies are emerging as potential therapeutics to either halt or reverse progression of the disease.


METHODS
This paper aims to provide an overview of current drug therapies aimed at targeting the tau protein. With this protein known to be a noted pathologic finding of the disease, trials of therapeutics aimed at this protein have been under investigation. This article is based on data obtained from PubMed searches, TauRx, ALZFORUM, and Clinicaltrials.gov with search terms including: anti-tau, tau therapeutic agents in AD, Phase 0, I, II, III trials in AD, monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.


CONCLUSIONS
Broad-based treatments that target tau, including microtubule stabilization and tau aggregation inhibitors, appear to be of greatest promise. Immunotherapy appears to be relatively safe and efficacious but narrow whereas protein kinase inhibition has not demonstrated clinical benefit to date.
a 1 Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix , AZ, USA.
Keshav
K
Anand
b 2 Banner Sun Health Research Institute, The Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research , 10515 West Santa Fe Drive, Sun City, AZ, USA +1 623 832 6500 ; +1 623 832 6504 ; Marwan.sabbagh@bannerhealth.com.
Marwan
M
Sabbagh
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D015195:Drug Design; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D016875:tau Proteins
Alzheimer’s; clinical trial; dementia; drug development; tau