Friday, August 22, 2008

MIT computer modeling advances toward Alzheimer’s prevention

By Mass High Tech Staff

MIT has moved a step closer to developing Alzheimer’s prevention treatment by targeting the protein structures of the disease with its own comoputer modeling technology, according to published reports.

The research was conducted by Collin M. Stultz, associate professor of biomedical engineering at MIT, and study co-author Austin Huang, a graduate student with the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST).

In their research, Stultz and Huang studied the structure of tau, one of two proteins in the brain. They developed Energy-minima Mapping and Weighting (EMW), a computer modeling technique to determine potential tau structures with the data, since the protein is characterized as floppy and difficult to measure. The method identified one of several mutant forms of the tau protein that had a structure associated with increased risk for the disease.

The mutant could then be used by biotechs to develop a prevention drug for the protein structure, MIT officials report.

Similarly, the EMW could apply to cancer targets as well, Stultz said.

Some local companies are tackling the treatment end of Alzheimer’s disease. Lexington-based Epix Pharmaceuticals Inc., in collaboration with British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline PLC, has developed PRX-03140 as a stand-alone treatment for Alzheimer’s, currently in a second Phase 2b clinical trial.

In June, Harvard Medical School scientists announced a discovery of molecules in the brain that can turn stem cells into neurons and repair damaged tissue, which could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease as well.