| 摘要 |
The present invention provides a method of screening for compounds or compositions effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The method comprises obtaining Alzheimer's disease-affected cells derived from a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, incubating the cells under conditions of lysosomal blockade in the presence of an effective amount of the therapeutic compound, detecting the amount of post-translationally modified C-terminal derivatives of the amyloid precursor protein produced in the cells, and comparing the amount of post-translationally modified C-terminal derivatives in the cells incubated with the therapeutic compound to the amount of post-translationally modified C-terminal derivatives in cells not contacted with the compound. A relative decrease in the cells incubated with the compound indicates a compound effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The instant invention also provides a method of screening for the presence of Alzheimer's disease in a patient. Also provided is a method of decreasing the amount of post-translationally modified C-terminal derivatives of amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease-affected cells of patients by administering an effective amount of a compound that increases the level of cyclic AMP in the cells. The invention also provides a method of treating Alzheimer's disease by administering to a patient with Alzheimer's disease an effective amount of a compound that increases the level of cyclic AMP and/or a compound capable of decreasing the amount of post-translationally modified C-terminal derivatives of the amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease-affected cells. |
