BACE 1 Project

The BACE 1 project is focused on discovering new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which, although most commonly associated with older people, is not part of the normal process of ageing. The disease causes a gradual loss of brain cells important for functions such as cognition, memory and speech. Once thought to be a rare condition, AD is now known to be the most common form of dementia and ranks about 8th among the leading causes of death in the US. Despite substantial progress over the last decade in understanding the processes underlying AD there is not yet a cure or preventative treatment as current drugs treat symptoms rather than the underlying disease itself. There is a large and unmet medical need for safe and effective therapies for AD - a need which demographic trends are set to strengthen over the coming decades.

At the molecular level AD is a complex and multifactorial disease that is still not fully understood. However, in recent years researchers have generally accepted that protein fragments called Amyloid-beta peptides are central and essential players in disease development. Amyloid-beta peptides are produced by normal brain cells but in AD they stick together in abnormal aggregates that are toxic to neurons. This so-called “Amyloid-beta hypothesis” for AD predicts that if Amyloid-beta peptides can be reduced to a safe level the disease process could be slowed or halted, thus allowing patients to maintain their autonomy and quality of life for longer.

BACE 1 (Beta-site APP-Cleaving Enzyme 1) is a membrane-bound aspartyl proteinase that is produced by neurons and other cells and is a key enzyme responsible for generating Amyloid-beta peptides. Inhibiting BACE 1 by means of a suitable medicinal drug should result in the desired reduction of Amyloid-beta peptide levels in the brain, thus reducing progression of the disease. Actelion’s BACE 1 programme is dedicated to discovering such a break-through therapy for AD.

For further information on all aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease visit the following websites:

http://www.alzheimers.org

Current and comprehensive Alzheimer's disease (AD) information and resources from the U.S. Government's National Institute on Aging (NIA).

http://www.alz.org
The Alzheimer’s Association Alzheimer’s research and support.