ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - TOWARDS THERAPEUTIC MANIPULATION OF THE AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN AND AMYLOID BETA-PEPTIDES

The socio-economic costs of caring for patients with Alzheimer's disea se (AD), both in institutions and in the community, are immense. Since increasing age is a significant risk factor for the development of AD , these costs are set to rise commensurate with demographic changes in the age structure of the population. The need for effective treatment s to combat the decline in cognitive functions in AD is therefore obvi ous. The realisation over the past decade of the importance of the amy loid precursor protein (APP) and its metabolites, the amyloid beta-pep tides (A beta), in the pathogenesis of AD has suggested that these may be likely therapeutic targets, at several points along their syntheti c and metabolic pathways. This review will cover patenting activity co ncerning APP and A beta for the period 1995 - 1996. Special emphasis i s placed on the patent applications aimed at preventing A beta aggrega tion since this seems to be a key event in potentiating A beta neuroto xicity.