AMYLOID BETA PROTEIN (GLOBULAR ASSEMBLY AND USES THEREOF)

• Main Authors: LAMBERT, MARY P, KLEIN, WILLIAM L, MORGAN, TODD, CHROMY, BRETT A, WALS, PAT, BARLOW, ANN, ROZOVSKY, IRINA, KRAFFT, GRANT A, FINCH, CALEB E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 01.05.2012
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEPTIDES; PHYSICS; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS ORMEDICINAL PREPARATIONS; SPIRITS; TESTING; VINEGAR; WINE

The invention provides amyloid beta-derived dementing ligands (ADDLs) that comprise amyloid .beta. protein assembled into globular non-fibrillar oligomeric structures capable of activating specific cellular processes. The invention also provides methods for assying the formation, presence, receptor protein binding and cellular activity of ADDLs, as well as compounds that block the formation or activity of ADDLs, and methods of identifying such compounds. The invention further provides methods of using ADDLs, and modulating ADDL formation and/or activity, inter alia in the treatment of learning and/or memory disorders.