How a deadly tumour cell protein could help fight Alzheimer’s disease: Chinese researchers
Chinese scientists’ research could open new doors for ‘precision-targeted’ treatment of the most common form of dementia
A protein secreted by deadly tumour cells could be a powerful weapon against Alzheimer’s disease, Chinese researchers have found.
While Alzheimer’s disease and cancer are common in ageing populations and are among the leading causes of death worldwide, it is unusual for them to occur in the same person.
A Chinese research team said late last month they had identified a protein from cancer cells that could explain why patients with a history of cancer were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
“We show that cystatin C secreted from peripheral tumour cells effectively reduces amyloid plaque burden and rescues cognition in mouse models of [Alzheimer’s disease],” scientists from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the central Chinese city of Wuhan wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on January 22.