New protein prevents pre-stage to Alzheimer’s plaque
There is currently no cure or efficient treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Swedish researchers have, however, discovered potential treatments that may attack the actual cause of the disease. Results have been achieved through cooperation between researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, KTH and Affibody AB.
Researchers can now show for the first time how a new binding protein can encapsulate the Alzheimer’s amyloid-beta-peptide. Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by the accumulation of toxic beta-peptides in the brain. This discovery has led to new insights into how toxic forms of peptides are formed in Alzheimer’ disease and how this process can be prevented.
These discoveries have now been published in the respected journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) and the US Academy of Sciences has assessed this discovery as being of general interest.
Professor Torleif Härd’s research group at the Department of Biomedicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg has mapped the three dimensional structure of the amyloid-beta-peptides. In this process he has used an Affibody molecule that was specially developed to capture individual amyloid-beta-peptides. It has been shown that in this way the Affibody molecule prevents the beta-peptides from forming into the toxic accumulations that are considered to be the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Affibody molecule has been developed by a research group led by Professor Stefan Ståhl from the School of Biotechnology at KTH in cooperation with the biotechnology company Affibody AB.
“It is very rewarding when our research on Affibody technology leads to an unexpected breakthrough and especially so when it concerns medically vital areas such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Professor Stefan Ståhl, Dean of the KTH School of Biotechnology.
The Affibody molecule captures and encapsulated amyloid-beta-peptides in a special structure entitled a “hairpin” which is as beautiful as it is surprising,” comments Professor Torleif Härd who leads the research team at Sahlgrenska Academy. This discovery has led to new insights on how the toxic accumulations may occur.
“We had hoped that the structure of amyloid-beta-peptide-Affibody-molecule complex would provide new insights but we never dreamed that it would be this spectacular. Now we understand how to prevent the formation of toxic accumulations consisting of several peptides,” says Professor Torleif Härd.
As concerns Alzheimer’s, current treatment is primarily aimed at limiting the most widespread and well-known symptom of the disease - loss of memory. There is no cure or efficient treatment. The discoveries of this research team mean new opportunities to develop potential treatments to attack the actual cause of the disease.
“This work could be of major clinical importance however further studies are necessary in order to determine whether this is a possible method of treatment for Alzheimer’s,” says Professor Bengt Winblad, Karolinska Institutet.
Information on publication: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Stabilization of a beta-hairpin in monomeric Alzheimer’s amyloid- beta peptide inhibits amyloid formation by Wolfgang Hoyer, Caroline Grönwall, Andreas Jonsson, Stefan Ståhl, and Torleif Härd.
More information:
Professor Torleif Härd, Department of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, + 46 (0)31786 3952, torleif.hard@gu.se
Professor Stefan Ståhl, School of Biotechnology, KTH, + 46 (0)85537 8329, stefans@biotech.kth.se
Scientific Director Lars Abrahmsén, Affibody AB, + 46 (0)85988 3812, reception@affibody.com
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Christer Gummeson