Genentech's new parADigm

Abstract

A study by a team at Genentech Inc. proposes a new mechanism for Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis by outlining a process that could be an early step in the neurodegenerative disorder.1 The work also identifies a trio of new AD targets, which the company is pursuing with preclinical programs.The study suggests that the previously ignored amino-terminal portion of amyloid precursor protein (APP), called N-APP, might be the main culprit behind AD. APP is a transmembrane protein that gives rise to N-APP and the much more commonly known beta-amyloid (Abeta), a fragment that forms the amyloid fibers and plaques that are hallmarks of AD, although the precise role of those fibers and plaques in disease pathology is unclear.2