Where on Earth did they discover a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease?
Florida. Innovation Hub of the Americas®.
A Mayo Clinic team in Jacksonville, led by Dr. Michael Hutton and Dr. Steven Younkin found that individuals with high levels of a peptide called Aß42 are at risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aß42 is a specific form of the Amyloid ß protein (Aß) that is elevated by all of the genetic mutations causing early-onset familial Alzheimer’s. Through this discovery, researchers can now identify individuals who exhibit a significant risk for developing AD so they can begin a regimen of experimental treatments for the disease before becoming afflicted with AD.
Dr. Hutton was also part of a team of Jacksonville Mayo Clinic researchers who successfully bred transgenic mice to exhibit the same amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that are the two key pathologic characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. This breakthrough provides scientists with a better animal model to test therapies aimed at preventing or halting the progression of AD. In fact, a separate Jacksonville Mayo Clinic research team has identified amyloid-reducing compounds that were tested on a transgenic mouse and found that they significantly reduced Aß in the brain - another major leap forward in AD research.
For their outstanding work in the detection and prevention of neuro-degenerative diseases, four researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville have received the prestigious Metropolitan Life Foundation’s Award for Medical Research. This is a feat matched by only one other research organization worldwide.
Researchers are continuing their ground-breaking work in the detection, prevention and treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and others.
Innovative Floridians are among those leading the way for these biomedical breakthroughs.
For more information on Alzheimer’s disease research, please contact Steven G. Younkin, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Center for Neuroscience, Consultant & Professor Pharmacology and Pathology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 904-953-7353.
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