As the population ages, the number of people with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, increases. Approximately 75,000 Canadians are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease each year and experience a decline in their cognitive abilities. The ordeal usually lasts for several years while their family members watch helplessly.
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by proteinopathies — abnormal accumulations of proteins in the brain that impair the functioning of neurons. The most widely studied therapeutic approach to developing drugs for Alzheimer’s is to try to reduce the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide and tau protein in neurons.
