Gene Shows Promise for Alzheimer's

By GAUTAM NAIK
WSJ

Scientists have found a way to dramatically reduce the erosion of memory and learning ability in mice with a version of Alzheimer's disease, potentially offering a new approach for tackling the illness in humans.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers achieved the result by working with a gene, SIRT1, in the mouse brain. The gene regulates the production of a class of proteins known as sirtuin one.

Mice with a model of Alzheimer's disease that were genetically engineered to produce more sirtuin one retained both memory and learning ability as they aged; the loss of both are hallmarks of Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's mice without the extra sirtuin one capability, and those genetically engineered to produce no sirtuin one at all, showed steep declines in learning ability and memory as they aged.

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