Researchers Identify Alzheimer’s Enzyme Inhibitor

Researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation say they have identified a highly effective inhibitor of the enzyme that plays a key role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Memapsin 2, also known as beta-secretase, cleaves a protein called amyloid precursor protein, producing protein fragments that damage brain cells. The team reported in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Chemical Society that the new inhibitor blocks this process in the test tube. It has not been tested in humans.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II