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Community Info Health News
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Washington University in St. Louis and AstraZeneca to Collaborate Alzheimer's Research ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), April 20, 2008 - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have announced a research collaboration that aims to develop new and improved ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease. The major focus of the alliance will be biomarkers, characteristic changes in the brain and spinal fluid, that physicians can use to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and track its response to treatment. "Alzheimer's disease is already a huge public health problem that is increasing exponentially," says David M. Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the School of Medicine, and neurologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "To prevent this disease with new treatments that are currently on the horizon, we need better ways to diagnose the disease before people become cognitively impaired. We are pleased to be collaborating with AstraZeneca on this important initiative." "AstraZeneca is focused on transforming cutting edge science into meaningful medicines. Collaborating with Washington University gives us access to world-class expertise in the area of Alzheimer's disease and allows us to explore together potential new ways to help patients suffering from this terrible disease," says Bob Holland, Vice President for Neuroscience at AstraZeneca. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects as many as 5 million Americans. Little is known about what causes Alzheimer's disease or how it progresses in patients, and the condition has always been difficult for physicians to definitively diagnose. In addition, studies by Washington University and others have shown that by the time patients begin to suffer obvious symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer's has already caused extensive and largely irreversible damage to the brain. These factors have made identification of biomarkers that allow earlier and more definite diagnosis of the disease a top priority for research. The new research projects created by the Washington University and AstraZeneca collaborative agreement will include an effort to better understand the connections between Alzheimer's disease and a class of central nervous system compounds called tau proteins. These proteins help maintain the inner structures of nerve cells. Evidence suggests they undergo a chemical change in Alzheimer's patients, disrupting their ability to maintain nerve cell structure. This leads the tau proteins to snarl in tangles inside the cell that cause the cell to die. Researchers hope to identify changes in tau proteins present in the spinal fluid that they can add to a panel of indicators of Alzheimer's disease. Other projects will include looking for new genetic markers linked to Alzheimer's disease risk and testing potential Alzheimer's treatments developed by AstraZeneca scientists in models used for Alzheimer's research by University faculty. "Scientists from both organizations are very interested in finding new ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's," says Holtzman. "We believe that combining the world-class expertise and facilities that are found at AstraZeneca and Washington University will help us reach those goals more quickly than either institution could alone." Archived St. Louis Community Health News:  New Report Estimates 10 Million Baby Boomers Will Develop Alzheimer's Disease in the United States The SLFP.com - Community Info is presented in conjunction with the St. Louis Front Page and Southwest Illinois News. The sites are owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan St. Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group . |
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