METHOD OF SCREENING DRUGS FOR REVERSAL OF AMYLOID BETA NEUROTOXICITY

摘要

A method of screening a compound for effectiveness in treating amyloid beta neurotoxicity comprises culturing mammalian neurons in serum-free defined medium until the neurons are electrically functional, exposing the electrically stable neurons to amyloid beta, monitoring the exposed neurons for impairment of electrical functionality, and treating the exposed neurons with the candidate drug while monitoring their electrical activity for reversal of impairment. The invention also includes a method of identifying a mammalian neuron having a biological marker conferring predisposition to development of Alzheimer's disease, the method comprising culturing the mammalian neuron in serum-free medium until the neuron is electrically functional, exposing the electrically stable neuron to amyloid beta while monitoring for impairment of electrical functionality as an indicator of presence of said biological marker, and verifying presence of the biological marker by treating the impaired neuron with an anti-amyloidogenic compound while monitoring for return of neuron functionality.