By Simon Spichak, MSc | October 12th, 2022
While scientists don’t know yet what causes Alzheimer’s, beta-amyloid protein plaques remain one of the prime suspects. While many approaches have focused on clearing these amyloid plaques, this strategy has not yet succeeded in bringing disease-modifying treatments to market. So far, most existing treatments for Alzheimer’s are only designed to help people manage symptoms, like memory loss.
Valiltramiprosate, an experimental Alzheimer’s drug by Alzheon, is taking a different approach: It is designed to protect a healthy form of amyloid-beta from turning into a toxic form. The drugmakers theorize that if they can prevent this potentially protective protein from turning into neurotoxic soluble oligomers, they could prevent the damage that occurs in brains with Alzheimer’s. The ongoing APOLLOE4 trial will assess whether the experimental drug can actually slow down cognitive decline in people who carry genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s.