Page 22 - focusUnimore_dicembre2024

Verso una nuova terapia per Alzheimer e altre

taupatie: scoperta una molecola promettente da
Unimore e Università di Osnabrück

Towards a new therapy for Alzheimer’s and other taupathies: discovery of a promising molecule by
Unimore and the University of Osnabrück

Tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease, are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the abnormal
accumulation of tau protein, leading to neuronal damage and severe healthcare, social, and economic con-
sequences. Recently, an international research team led by Professors Giulio Rastelli (Unimore) and Roland
Brandt (University of Osnabrück) discovered a new molecule, PHOX15, which could represent an innova-
tive therapy for these diseases. This polypharmacological compound inhibits tau aggregation and restores
its physiological interaction with microtubules in in vitro neuronal models. PHOX15 not only reduces tau
aggregation but also lowers its abnormal phosphorylation by blocking kinases involved in Alzheimer’s, such
as GSK-3β and CDK5. The polypharmacological approach of PHOX15, acting on multiple fronts, represents
a promising strategy to overcome the limitations of current therapies, which focus on single targets. The
results, published in Nature Communications, could pave the way for new treatments for complex neurode-
generative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

e taupatie sono malattie Le taupatie sono caratterizzate dall’accumulo

neurodegenerative dal dram- anomalo della proteina tau all’interno dei
matico impatto sanitario, sociale neuroni. Mentre in condizioni fisiologiche Tau è
ed economico, fra le quali la più essenziale per il corretto funzionamento dei mi-
Lfrequente e nota è il morbo di crotubuli, in condizioni patologiche subisce modi-
Alzheimer, il cui trattamento ha un costo a livello ficazioni che ne alterano la funzione e portano alla
mondiale di oltre 200 miliardi di euro annui. formazione di aggregati tossici.

22