Arc: A new target for treating alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Antonius M. VanDongen, Associate Professor from Duke University, walks us through Arc, a new target for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Alois Alzheimer is a German psychiatrist credited with identifying the first case of the debilitating disease named after him. In 1906, he described neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in his patient’s brain as unique hallmarks of her dementia. Advances in neuroimaging, genetics, and molecular biology have expanded our understanding of the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) significantly. But despite heroic efforts to find a cure, there is currently no therapy that prevents, stabilizes or reverses the progression of this disorder that is poised to take on epidemic proportions as the world ages.