The new γ-secretase modulators

Posted September 20, 2010

Esther Landhuis covers the topic thoroughly in a good article on Alzforum.

“Despite recent setbacks on the clinical front, the hunt for small molecules that can cleanly tweak γ-secretase to slow Alzheimer disease seems to be alive and well” writes Esther Landhuis on Alzforum about new γ-secretase modulators.

The research published in Sept. 9 Neuron is on the success of gamma secretase modulator (GSM) drugs in Alzheimer’s disease mice from Cure Alzheimer’s researchers Steve Wagner and Rudy Tanzi.

Tanzi writes that the GSMs “could be used like statins are used today to prevent heart disease. If there was pre-symptomatic evidence that amyloid levels were too high in a patient’s brain, a GSM might be taken to lower relevant peptide levels and reduce AD risk. You don’t want to knock out these peptides. They have a purpose. You just want to dial them back to safe levels.”

The Alzforum piece explains the details behind this exciting work.

Read the article: New γ-Secretase Modulators Reduce Aβ42, Avoid Notch