Researchers at King's College London have identified a promising new strategy for tackling Alzheimer's disease by targeting several of the disease's earliest biological changes at the same time. Their study found that KCL-286, an experimental drug originally developed for spinal cord injury that has already passed Phase 1 safety trials, reduced multiple hallmarks of Alzheimer's in a mouse model.
"KCL-286 is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable small molecule that has already successfully cleared Phase 1 human safety and tolerability trials. This will dramatically cut down the traditional multi-year timeline required for new drug development," commented Professor Jonathan Corcoran, Professor of Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London.
Looking Beyond Amyloid and Tau
Alzheimer's disease is driven by a complex combination of biological changes. The condition is best known for the buildup of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, which eventually contribute to the loss of brain cells. Although most approved treatments have focused on reducing amyloid-beta, they have delivered only limited, though measurable, clinical benefits.
Scientists are now exploring additional processes that may play important roles much earlier in the disease. Among these are DNA damage and inflammation, both of which appear in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's and may offer new opportunities to slow its progression.
