Compound Slows Key Step in Alzheimer's

Compound Slows Key Step in Alzheimer's

Small molecules make better drugs than large ones do, because they can more easily enter cells and gum up chosen chemically active sites. But their size makes it hard for them to stop larger molecules like proteins from interacting with one another, which is critical to many diseases. Now, borrowing a trick from soil bacteria, researchers have designed a small molecule that effectively forms a new drug on the spot by teaming up with a large protein that is common inside cells. As reported today in Science, the resulting complex binds to fragments of beta-amyloid protein and keeps them from sticking together to form the "plaques" that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease."

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