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Blood protein paves way for potential Alzheimer’s drug design

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Kolkata, Blood protein, drug, Alzheimer's drug, Alzheimer's disease, Banaras Hindu University,Kolkata: Opening up new horizons in designing drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, Indian researchers have discovered that fibrinogen, a protein that is essential to stop bleeding by helping form blood clot, may arrest the damage caused to nerve cells in the devastating neuro-degenerative disorder.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterised by extensive loss of neurons and deposition of amyloid beta peptide in the form of plaques.The amyloid plaques that form between the brain’s neurons as it ages are toxic and hence cause the cognitive losses associated with Alzheimer’s.”We have, for the first time, demonstrated that the cytotoxic effects of amyloid beta can be prevented by fibrinogen in a dose-dependent manner. Fibrinogen acts as a shield or antidote against its toxicity,” lead scientist of the study Debabrata Dash from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), said.

Dash said the toxic effects of amyloid beta on blood platelets as well as on neuronal cells can be significantly reduced by pre-treatment with fibrinogen.”As fibrinogen is already known to bind amyloid beta, it can capture or sequester amyloid beta and prevent the latter from interacting with neuronal cells or platelets,” he said.There is a catch. Fibrinogen does not cross blood-brain barrier (BBB) so this rules out the possibility of the protein gaining entry into brain and capturing the rogue amyloid beta peptides.

“But peptides or small molecules resembling parts of fibrinogen can be designed which can cross blood-brain barrier to sequester amyloid beta in brain and can act as a novel therapeutic strategy against Alzheimer’s,” Dash explained, adding this is the scientists’ future plan.The study was published in the journal Molecular Medicine. Apart from BHU, the study involved researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata and Indian Institute of Toxicological Research Centre in Lucknow.

The idea posited in the study could also work in favour of advanced diagnostics.”The peptides that we intend to use for therapeutics can be conjugated with MRI contrast agents. It might be possible to detect or image amyloid plaques within the brain of AD patients non-invasively employing magnetic resonance imaging using these conjugated peptides capable of binding to amyloid plaques after crossing blood brain barrier,” he added.

Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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