“Discovery of an APP-Selective BACE1 Inhibitor for Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Jesus Campagna, et al. – UCLA Geffen School of Medicine.
This study reports a novel BACE1 inhibitor that blocks cleavage of APP, preventing formation of amyloid-β, without affecting other BACE1 substrates. This specificity would address issues with previous non-specific BACE1 inhibitors, which have shown minimal benefit or worsened cognition in clinical trials. Pilot experiments in a mouse AD model found reduced levels of APP cleavage products and improved performance on novelty-recognition memory tasks.
