Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the Western world with an estimated 5 million cases in the US alone. With an ageing population, this incidence is likely to rise to over 16 million in the US by 2050. Currently there is no simple diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease though the presence of a particular genetic marker is linked with predisposition. The value of this test remains equivocal.

Proteome Sciences is committed to the discovery of new clinically relevant biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease which we hope will lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, as well as looking for new targets for drug discovery.

In March 2004, Proteome Sciences announced a panel of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, followed in June by the discovery of novel serum biomarkers for the early detection of the disease to be developed into a diagnostic assay.

With a particular focus on post-translational modifications of tau and beta-amyloid proteins, Proteome Sciences is working with the internationally renowned team at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry using ProteoSHOP® to identify disease pathways in Alzheimer’s. This work has led to the identification of many new phosphorylation sites in tau protein isolated from Alzheimer’s diseased brains and the presentation of the discovery of novel kinase activity at the 2004 ASMS meeting in the USA as good potential new drug targets to prevent and/or delay the progression of Alzheimer’s. This and our other research related to beta-amyloid plaques and tangles are focused to identify potential new targets for this debilitating disease.

Partnering

Proteome Sciences is actively looking to out-license its serum and CSF biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s. In parallel, strategic pharmaceutical partners are required to accelerate the validation of the novel drug targets and to develop small molecule and biological agents against our discoveries.