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The major focus of the alliance will be biomarkers, characteristic changesin the brain and spinal fluid, that physicians can use to diagnose Alzheimer'sdisease and track its response to treatment. "Alzheimer's disease is already ahuge public health problem that is increasing exponentially," says David M.Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and chair of theDepartment of Neurology at the School of Medicine, and neurologist-in-chief atBarnes-Jewish Hospital. "To prevent this disease with new treatments that arecurrently on the horizon, we need better ways to diagnose the disease beforepeople become cognitively impaired. We are pleased to be collaborating withAstraZeneca on this important initiative."
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"AstraZeneca is focused on transforming cutting edge science intomeaningful medicines. Collaborating with Washington University gives us accessto world-class expertise in the area of Alzheimer's disease and allows us toexplore together potential new ways to help patients suffering from thisterrible disease," says Bob Holland, Vice President for Neuroscience atAstraZeneca.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects asmany as 5 million Americans(1). Little is known about what causes Alzheimer'sdisease or how it progresses in patients, and the condition has always beendifficult for physicians to definitively diagnose. In addition, studies byWashington University and others have shown that by the time patients begin tosuffer obvious symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer's has already caused extensiveand largely irreversible damage to the brain. These factors have madeidentification of biomarkers that allow earlier and more definite diagnosis ofthe disease a top priority for research.
The new research projects created by the Washington University andAstraZeneca collaborative agreement will include an effort to betterunderstand the connections between Alzheimer's disease and a class of centralnervous system compounds called tau proteins. These proteins help maintain theinner structures of nerve cells. Evidence suggests they undergo a chemicalchange in Alzheimer's patients, disrupting their ability to maintain nervecell structure. This leads the tau proteins to snarl in tangles inside thecell that cause the cell to die. Researchers hope to identify changes in tauproteins present in the spinal fluid that they can add to a panel ofindicators of Alzheimer's disease.
Other projects will include looking for new genetic markers linked toAlzheimer's disease risk and testing potential Alzheimer's treatmentsdeveloped by AstraZeneca scientists in models used for Alzheimer's research byUniversity faculty.
"Scientists from both organizations are very interested in finding newways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's," says Holtzman. "We believe thatcombining the world-class expertise and facilities that are found atAstraZeneca and Washington University will help us reach those goals morequickly than either institution could alone."
This new alliance with Washington University is one of several newalliances by AstraZeneca with leading academic and research institutions toaddress unmet medical needs through cutting-edge research across severaldisease areas, including Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain and psychiatricillnesses. These proposed new agreements complement existing AstraZenecaalliances in neuroscience and other key therapeutic areas with world-classinstitutions.
About Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteerfaculty physicians also are
