New discovery in Alzheimer's research: TAOK protein family
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered two new compounds that could advance Alzheimer's treatment development.
1Why Alzheimer's remains untreatable
Alzheimer's disease affects over 7 million people in the US, making it the most common cause of dementia. Current treatments only alleviate symptoms but cannot stop disease progression. Daniel Schultz from Vanderbilt University notes that the biggest obstacle to finding a cure is the incomplete understanding of the disease's underlying biology.
2The role of tool compounds
Scientists use 'tool compounds' to understand neurological diseases. These chemicals interact with specific proteins to increase or decrease their activity. While not suitable as drugs themselves, they're crucial for understanding protein functions. This knowledge forms the first step in developing new treatments.
3TAOK-1 inhibitor discovery
In a study published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, Schultz's team developed VU6083859, a compound that selectively inhibits the TAOK-1 protein. Although linked to Alzheimer's, this protein hadn't been thoroughly studied due to lack of suitable research compounds. The discovery was made at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD).
4Unexpected activation finding
The second compound, VU6080195, unexpectedly activated all three members of the TAOK protein family rather than inhibiting them. Schultz emphasized that this finding opens new opportunities to study the effects of protein activation and highlights the excitement of scientific surprises.
5Clinical-stage research
WCNDD is a clinical-stage biotechnology startup within Vanderbilt University. Its drug discovery pipeline currently includes five compounds in Phase I clinical trials. The center also serves as a foundational pillar of the newly established Vanderbilt Institute for Therapeutic Advances.
6Molecular screening process
Researchers created numerous molecules with slightly different structures to evaluate their effects on TAOK-1. This process demonstrated the strength of WCNDD's drug discovery infrastructure. Compounds were rigorously tested for desirable drug-like properties.
7Call to focus on protein family
Schultz hopes these two compounds will encourage more researchers to study the TAOK protein family, which has been relatively neglected in in vivo models. Understanding the family's functions and connections to neurological diseases could improve chances of finding effective treatments.
8Long-term implications
These discoveries may help researchers identify new treatment strategies and potentially contribute to the long-sought cure for Alzheimer's. Deeper understanding of disease biology could help overcome many dead ends in neurological disease research.