Tau protein aggregation: Key features to improve drug discovery screening

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders associated with the accumulation of abnormal tubulin associated unit (tau) protein in the brain. Tau pathologies include a broad spectrum of diseases, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) being the most common tauopathy. The pathophysiological mechanisms of AD are still only partially understood. As a consequence, attempts to establish therapeutic approaches have led to numerous clinical trial failures and, to date, no curative treatment is available for AD despite the considerable number of research programs. Therefore, over the past decade, the aggregation of the tau protein in AD has become a therapeutic target of interest. In this review, we gather in silico, in vitro, and in vivo methodologies that are relevant to assess compounds targeting tau aggregation, from early drug design to clinical trials.

Automated summary

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation of abnormal tau protein in the brain, with Alzheimer's disease being the most common form. The pathophysiological mechanisms of AD are still not fully understood, and there is currently no curative treatment available. Therefore, targeting tau protein aggregation has become an important focus for therapeutic approaches.