- Our Story - In Memory Two Sides to Abeta For the last 27
years, Abeta, a fatty protein that is created in the brain, has
been identified as the leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease. As
a result, the majority of efforts aimed at developing a cure
have targeted Abeta as the enemy. But recent studies have
indicated that simply wiping out Abeta in the brain is not the
solution. Everything in moderation While too much rain can cause
flooding, not enough can cause a drought. Yet nature depends on
rain for its very existence. Similarly, studies have shown that
Abeta, previously thought to be an unequivocal “bad guy” in
Alzheimer’s pathology, may play a pivotal role in the brain.
“Too much Abeta in the brain acts like a plugged-up kitchen
sink,” explains Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D., Harvard Medical
School/Massachusetts General Hospital and chairman of Cure
Alzheimer’s Fund Research Consortium. Treating an overabundance
of Abeta means either slowing production (fixing the leak) or
hastening clearance (unclogging the drain). “