UAMS Researchers Breakthrough Discovery in Treating Alzheimer’s with Cholesterol Drug
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying the potential of the cholesterol drug ezetimibe to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Ezetimibe, which has been FDA-approved since 2002, has been shown to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease significantly.
This breakthrough research focuses on aggregates of tangled proteins commonly seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. These accumulations are considered key factors in the progression of most cognitive disorders.
The research team, led by postdoctoral fellow Akshatha Ganne, associate professor Srinivas Ayyadevara, and professor Robert J. Shmookler Reis, used advanced 3D-analysis tools to map the sticky sites within typical aggregates and determine which ones are most important for holding these clumps together. This computer analysis led them to ezetimibe, which in lab-grown neurons was shown to prevent specific aggregate proteins from sticking together.
The team further analyzed data from approximately 950,000 older adults and found that patients taking ezetimibe had a much lower incidence of Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia compared to the control group. This analysis hinted at a nearly eightfold reduction in relative risk for patients taking ezetimibe.
The researchers plan to conduct controlled studies of ezetimibe’s ability to protect specific high-risk groups from dementia, including heart-disease patients and people with mild cognitive impairment. If successful, this could provide an intervention for those with a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s due to known risk factors.
The potential of ezetimibe to disrupt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia marks a significant step forward in the quest to combat these devastating conditions.
