“Improving our understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease works at a molecular level is key to developing new treatments and therapies.” Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.A new study has found that PTP1B, an enzyme that counteracts insulin and plays an important role in obesity and diabetes, is also a target for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Blocking PTP1B in mouse models of Alzheimer’s restored their spatial memory to that of a healthy mouse. It also prevented cell loss in the hippocampus, a key part of the brain associated with memory.
The study is a collaboration between Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen and her team at The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa, and Drs. Alexandre Stewart and Konrad Ricke at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and others. Before this study, researchers didn’t know what role PTP1B played in Alzheimer’s disease.
This new study found that PTP1B sped up cognitive decline and damage to brain cells in mouse models. An experimental drug that targets PTP1B is already being tested in clinical trials for obesity, so it could be readily repurposed for clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Improving our understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease works at a molecular level is key to developing new treatments and therapies.” Dr. Hsiao-Huei Chen, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.
Source: The Journal of Neuroscience
Authors: Konrad Ricke, Shelly Cruz, Zhaohong Qin, Kaveh Farrokhi, Fariba Sharmin, Li Zhang, Michael Zasloff, Alexandre Stewart, Hsiao-Huei Chen
Funding: Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, Weston Brain Institute.
Core Facilities: University of Ottawa Animal Behavior Core
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