New class of drugs may help treat Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have identified a new class of drugs that may be able to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the University of Arizona have developed a new class of drugs that could be used to treat degenerative neurological diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The new class of drugs is able to cross the blood-brain barrier which has a main role in degenerative neurological conditions.

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke affect over eight million people in the United States each year and have limited effective treatments.

One the reasons for the lack of treatment is the body’s natural defence mechanism because the brain is protected by a natural blood-brain barrier. 

This blockade consists of a network of blood vessels and tissues that help keep harmful substances from entering the brain.

The challenge is that the blood-brain barrier keeps out naturally occurring compounds produced by the body that can be caused to treat neurological disorders. Researchers have been trying to find ways to alter these compounds so that can get through the wall.

With this new class of drugs, researchers demonstrated that they can now reach previously unreachable receptor targets in the brain. 

“We’re excited about what we’re doing now, but we’re looking at hundreds of other peptides that the brain produces that are opening more and more possibilities,” said Robin Polt, one of the authors of the research. 

Unfortunately, the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not yet fully understood, although a number of things are thought to increase the risk of developing the condition. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, which means the symptoms develop gradually over many years and eventually become more severe.

The risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia increases with age, affecting an estimated one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in every six people over the age of 80.

There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but medicines are available that relieve some of the symptoms.