Interrupting apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease: potential for effective therapy?
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Waldmeier, Peter and Tatton, William G. (2004) Interrupting apoptosis in neurodegenerative disease: potential for effective therapy? Drug Discovery Today, 9 (5). pp. 210-218. ISSN 1359-6446
Abstract
Current treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases are limited and mainly affect only the symptoms of disease. Because of the unknown and probably multiple causes of these diseases, they cannot be readily targeted. However, it has been established that apoptosis contributes to neuronal loss in most neurodegenerative diseases. A possible treatment option is to interrupt the signaling networks that link neuronal damage to apoptotic degradation in neurodegeneration. The viability of this option depends upon the extent to which apoptosis accounts for neuron loss, whether or not interruption of apoptosis signaling results in recovery of neurological function and whether or not there are significant downsides to targeting apoptosis. Several compounds acting at different sites in known apoptotic signaling networks are currently in development and a few are in clinical trial. If an apoptosis-targeted compound succeeds in slowing or halting neurological dysfunction in one or more neurodegenerative diseases, a new era in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases will begin.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | author can archive post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing); Publisher's version/PDF cannot be used |
| Keywords: | Author Keywords: Alzheimer; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; apoptosis; compounds in development; Huntington; medical need; mitochondria; neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson; biomarkers; Drug Discovery; Development; Molecular Medicine; Pharmaceutical Science |
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| Date Deposited: | 14 Dec 2009 13:54 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Dec 2009 13:54 |
| URI: | https://oak.novartis.com/id/eprint/776 |