Lifeboat Foundation

Distinct amyloid-beta prion strains discovered in different variants of Alzheimer’s disease.

In a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a research team led by Carlo Condello presented their results from a study of the sliced brain fragments of deceased Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. It appears different amyloid-beta prions are uniquely associated with different AD variants [1].

A primer on Alzheimer’s disease

AD is a chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting about 5% of the population above 65 years of age—the time when the first symptoms usually manifest. It is estimated to be the cause of up to 70% of all cases of dementia, which according to WHO projections, by 2050 will be around 115 million.