Rational Design of Amyloid Beta-Protein Aggregation and Toxicity Inhibitors

In this project we will use a novel approach that combines our most current understanding of the molecular processes that lead to AD. We do that by “tailoring” sophisticated weapons that target what is believed to be the very first event along the pathway that leads to formation of the toxic molecules that rob AD patients of their memory and personality.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a current major public health threat, which despite tremendous research efforts, to date has no cure. To cure and prevent the disease we must invent drugs that treat the root of the problem. In this project we will use a novel approach that combines our most current understanding of the molecular processes that lead to AD. We do that by “tailoring” sophisticated weapons that target what is believed to be the very first event along the pathway that leads to formation of the toxic molecules that rob AD patients of their memory and personality. Unlike the direction used by most pharmaceutical companies – screening of large, random collections of molecules,our study is the first example of using a rational-design approach that is based on the three-dimensional structure of the toxic protein that causes AD.