A research team in Brazil has developed a new chemical compound that might one day help treat Alzheimer’s disease.
The scientists, based at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC), used computer models, lab tests, and animal experiments to study the new drug.
Their early results are promising, and they hope to work with pharmaceutical companies to begin testing the compound in human patients.
The team’s main goal is to fight the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. These sticky plaques are a major sign of Alzheimer’s and are believed to interfere with how brain cells communicate. When these plaques build up, they can cause inflammation and damage, leading to memory loss and confusion.
The new compound works by targeting copper, which plays a surprising role in plaque formation. Studies in the past have shown that too much copper in the brain may help these harmful plaques stick together. The Brazilian scientists designed the new compound to bind with this excess copper and break the plaques apart.
Their study, published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, showed that the compound acted as a copper “chelator”—a substance that traps and removes copper from the brain. When tested on rats with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease, the compound helped reduce memory problems and improved the animals’ ability to learn and find their way around.
It also reduced brain inflammation and stress and helped restore a healthier copper balance in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that helps control memory.
What makes this compound especially interesting is that it can cross the blood-brain barrier, which is a protective layer that often prevents medicines from reaching the brain.
Using computer tools, the scientists confirmed that the compound could enter the brain and reach the areas most affected by Alzheimer’s. They also found that the drug did not harm brain cells and had no toxic effects in rats.
This work was led by Professor Giselle Cerchiaro and supported by FAPESP, a research funding organization in Brazil. The compound was developed by her team at UFABC and involved collaboration with researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).
One of the compounds tested showed particularly good results, and the team is now seeking industry partners to begin clinical trials in humans.
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness with no known cure. About 50 million people around the world are affected, and current treatments mostly help with symptoms but do not stop the disease from getting worse.
Some of these treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, are very expensive. The compound developed by the UFABC team is described as simple, safe, and affordable. It may not work for everyone, but even helping part of the population would be a big step forward.
This research offers new hope for better Alzheimer’s treatments. If future tests in people confirm the benefits seen in animals, this compound could one day become an important tool in fighting one of the world’s most challenging brain diseases.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies that bad lifestyle habits can cause Alzheimer’s disease, and strawberries can be good defence against Alzheimer’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
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