Skip to main content

Amyloid blockers may be a dead end

With few approved drugs available to treat Alzheimer disease, researchers are working on new compounds that block amyloid formation. But many potential drugs in the pipeline for the disease and other amyloid-associated illnesses may not be as promising as thought, according to a new linkurl:study;https://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nchembio.65.html published today (January 27) in Nature Chemical Biology. The research, led by linkurl:Brian Shoichet;https://ucsf.edu/dbps/facu

Written byAndrea Gawrylewski
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
With few approved drugs available to treat Alzheimer disease, researchers are working on new compounds that block amyloid formation. But many potential drugs in the pipeline for the disease and other amyloid-associated illnesses may not be as promising as thought, according to a new linkurl:study;https://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nchembio.65.html published today (January 27) in Nature Chemical Biology. The research, led by linkurl:Brian Shoichet;https://ucsf.edu/dbps/faculty/pages/shoichet.html at the University of California, San Francisco, examined the action of eight compounds that are known to inhibit protein aggregation and linkurl:amyloid formation; -- some of which are in early stage testing as therapies. Using electron microscopy, the group demonstrated that the compounds do block linkurl:amyloid formation;https://www.the-scientist.com/2007/11/1/78/2/, but inhibit linkurl:other proteins;https://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/display/news.jsp?type=news&o_url=news/display/24841&id=24841 as well. "It strongly suggests that a lot of leads for drug discovery that people have been pursuing for protein aggregation diseases are probably artifacts," Shoichet told The Scientist. The fact that these compounds are not specific and block any protein they come in contact with suggests that "these inhibitors are probably the wrong direction" for drug discovery, Shoichet added. "It's a very important beginning for uncovering therapeutics that can affect these diseases," linkurl:Colin Masters,;https://www.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/aboutus/staff an Alzheimer researcher at the University of Melbourne, who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist. Master's team has been working with one of the molecules that Shoichet's group tested, clioquinol, and said that this study will help elucidate some unusual inhibiting activity data that Master's group has been trying to reconcile.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member?
Add The Scientist as a preferred source on Google

Add The Scientist as a preferred Google source to see more of our trusted coverage.

Meet the Author

Related articles background image
August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

View this Issue
Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

cytiva logo
Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Miltenyi
Scientist holding a clear 384-well PCR microplate in a laboratory

What Dictates PCR Success Before Amplification Begins?

Integra Logo
Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches European Newsletter Campaign with Exclusive Welcome Gifts

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches SuperNuclease ® Pro with Free Trial Program

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches Precisely Characterized Full-Length p-Tau217 Protein to Advance Next-Generation Alzheimer’s Biomarker Assay Development

A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Lucid Scientific logo