Scientists Identify a New Target for Alzheimer’s Disease

Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have identified a new therapeutic target that can potentially prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss. 

“There are multiple, neurotoxic, disease-causing pathways that converge on the neutral sphingomyelinase that can cause neuronal loss in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient,” said Kalipada Pahan, PhD, neurological researcher and lead investigator at Rush.  “If we can stop the activation of the neutral sphingomylinase, we may be able to stop memory loss and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The study was released on September 21, which is also recognized as World Alzheimer’s Day.  On this day, the Alzheimer’s Association, doctors and other international organizations concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and how the debilitating disease affects millions of people. 

In a new international report on the global economic impact of Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Association states, “Given the magnitude and the impact of Alzheimer’s, the U.S. federal government’s response to this crisis has been stunningly neglectful.”

The authors of the report urge governments worldwide to make Alzheimer’s disease a major public health priority in order to address these concerns and to focus government efforts on funding research for new medications that could potentially prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at Rush are grateful for the funding for this study, which was provided the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer’s Association. More funding will be needed to bring this research from bench to bedside.

Now we need to translate this finding to the clinic.  If we can develop and test a medication that can target the neutral sphingomyelinase, we may be able to halt memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease patients,” said Pahan.

 The study will be published in the September 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

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