Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Drug Discovery Service
Creative Biolabs offers well-established and innovative one-stop solutions for Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. We will find a way to manage both the entire supply chain and the entire value chain to meet your needs. You can count on our skilled and passionate workforce to find the most suitable path and to guide you through your AD research journey. We can make your AD journey easier.
Overview
AD is a multifactorial brain disorder prevalent in elderly people. It is characterized by cognitive impairment, synaptic failure, aggregates of amyloid-beta (Aβ), and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangle. The biology of AD is increasingly well understood. Amyloid and tau protein are important targets; inflammation, synaptic plasticity, neuroprotection, and bioenergetics/metabolism account for most of the rest of the current pipeline of agents. Biomarkers are playing an increasing role in drug development and the use of amyloid (A), Tau (T), and neurodegenerative (N)-A/T/N biomarker frameworks. Both in vivo and in vitro methods help in the understanding of AD and the mechanisms of pathogenesis by Aβ and tau proteins. Advancements in these methods will improve the diagnosis and treatment of AD.
In vitro Services for Investigating AD
In vitro culture methods involve 2D and 3D cultures, usually in a petri dish. In vitro models of AD are usually created either by introducing synthetic compounds like the Aβ peptide into the cells or by inserting AD-associated genes into cells via gene delivery technologies such as transfection and transduction.
Fig.1 Principal 3D cell culture techniques. (Ranjan, et al., 2018)
A series of in vitro assays are available at Creative Biolabs to analyze cell viability and cytotoxicity assay to promote your AD research.
In Vivo Services for Investigating AD
In vivo methods refer to studies using animals as model organisms.
Many elegant mouse models have allowed the in vivo phenotype of AD to be studied in the brain and have laid the foundation for our current understanding of the mechanism of the disease. They are broadly classified into two categories, that is, transgenic (genetically modified animals with the introduction of an exogenous gene, usually of human origin) and nontransgenic (natural) animal models.
Fig.2 Current approaches utilized in modeling Alzheimer's disease. (Ranjan, et al., 2018)
Animal behavior evaluation has become a basic tool in many fields of translational neuroscience and has important research value. This is particularly useful in AD. Creative Biolabs offers a wide range of behavioral tests for a variety of indications.
Mechanism-based AD Drug Development
The majority of AD treatment strategies targeted at the amyloid cascade or so have been focused on reducing Aβ generation through the development of β- and γ-secretase inhibitors, accelerating Aβ clearance through active and passive immunotherapies, as well as preventing the formation of toxic amyloid aggregates.
Fig.3 Models of antibody-mediated amyloid clearance. (Citron, 2004)
The treatment of tau protein has become a research hotspot in AD drug development. Current treatment strategies include inhibition of tau aggregation, reduction of tau hyperphosphorylation or other toxic post-translational modifications, and promotion of tau clearance and prevention of tau transmission.
The ApoE4 genotype is one of the strongest genetic risk factors for sporadic AD. Different treatment strategies for ApoE have been tested in vitro and/or in vivo in preclinical animal models.
In AD, synaptic dysfunction due to a variety of factors including toxic accumulation, age-related processes, and neuroinflammation is one of the features of the disease. Neuroprotective strategies are developed to target degenerative mechanisms triggered by or involving the factors mentioned above.
As people have a new understanding of the pathogenesis and progression of AD, the development or reuse of drugs that can target different aspects of the pathogenesis of AD has become a hope for the treatment of AD. Creative Biolabs can apply our considerable experience with AD solutions to develop the necessary analytics specific to your neuroscience research project. Please feel free to contact us for more detail.
References
- Ranjan, V.D.; et al. Modelling Alzheimer's disease: Insights from in vivo to in vitro three-dimensional culture platforms. Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. 2018, 12(9): 1944-1958.
- Citron, M. Strategies for disease modification in Alzheimer's disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2004, 5(9): 677-685.
