Northwestern Medicine researchers found that RNA interference controls cell death in Alzheimer’s disease, a significant finding. The first short strands of toxic RNAs linked to brain cell death and DNA damage in Alzheimer’s and elderly brains have been identified.
Paradigm Shift in Alzheimer’s Treatment
The study shows that protective RNA strands decrease with age, which may cause Alzheimer’s. The memory-capable 80-year-old SuperAgers had more significant quantities of protective short RNA strands. This revelation changes our knowledge of Alzheimer’s and provides a new therapy strategy beyond amyloid plaques and tau phosphorylation.
Northwestern proposes a novel explanation for neurodegenerative illnesses beyond Alzheimer’s. The shift of aging brain cells between harmful and protective short RNAs may explain why people live symptom-free for decades before gradually developing the disease. This discovery may change neurodegenerative disease treatment.
This finding challenges the current Alzheimer’s medication discovery paradigm of amyloid plaque reduction and tau phosphorylation prevention. Stabilizing or boosting brain-protective short RNAs may slow Alzheimer’s progression. The study recommends investigating existing medications, targeting RNA interference, and inventing better chemicals to address this novel treatment.
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Future Research and Treatment Prospects
The study explains sRNAs’ involvement in cells. While DNA stores gene information, sRNAs regulate gene expression. RNA interference by sRNAs silences lengthy RNA-coded proteins. According to studies, short sequences in some sRNAs can hinder crucial protein creation and kill cells. Mostly microRNAs, protective sRNAs block hazardous sRNAs from entering cellular machinery. Their numbers decline with age, damaging cells.
Northwestern researchers, led by Professor Marcus Peter, will study how toxic sRNAs cause Alzheimer’s cell death. Cellular and animal models and human brain samples will be used to screen for drugs that specifically increase protection or inhibit harmful sRNAs. This discovery could lead to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disease treatments.
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