Korean Scientists Give Hope to Alzheimer Patients

A team of Korean scientists may have found a way to control Alzheimer's disease.

The team, led by Mook In-hee of Seoul National University Medical School, said Monday it found the protein that inhibits the harmful protein beta-amyloid, a cause of senile dementia. The controlling protein is called ERK1/2.
It is known that the enzymes beta-secretase and gamma-secretase are involved in the creation of beta-amyloid. Beta-secretase’s role in causing Alzheimer’s disease has been well known, and pharmaceutical giants worldwide have been trying to develop drugs to control the enzyme, to little avail.
Prof. Mook and her team discovered that ERK1/2 controls the function of gamma-secretase, and as a result, prevents creation of beta-amyloid. The discovery could open up a new way to treat senile dementia, the team said. In animal experiments, artificial control of the function of ERK1/2 sharply increased the amount of beta-amyloid produced. A treatment for Alzheimer’s disease would conversely have to boost the function of ERK1/2.
The research was conducted with financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the results were published in the Nov. 28 Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.