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In modern society, dementia is considered a more feared disease than cancer, with 70% of dementia patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain, leading to damage to nerve cells and a decline in memory and cognitive function. Researchers have previously focused on preventing the abnormal accumulation of 'amyloid beta' protein, but recently, domestic researchers have discovered a new clue that accelerates the progression of Alzheimer's. The protein 'ERBB4', identified as a key regulatory factor in this study, is abnormally increased in certain nerve cells, and inhibiting it has shown to reduce amyloid accumulation and improve memory.
Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) published these results in the international journal 'Nature', stating that targeting ERBB4 could be a good therapeutic target that alleviates multiple pathologies simultaneously. Additionally, overseas, new drug candidates aimed at reducing neurofibrillary tangles are being developed, and domestically, a treatment targeting the complex causes of Alzheimer's has completed phase 3 clinical trials and is set to announce detailed results in November.
Diagnostic methods are also changing. Recently, the U.S. FDA approved a technology for diagnosing Alzheimer's through blood tests. This method could replace the existing expensive PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid tests, providing patients with a faster and more convenient diagnosis. These changes demonstrate that research aimed at conquering dementia is accelerating in both treatment and diagnosis.