A Oligomer Elimination Restores Cognition in Transgenic Alzheimer's Mice with Full-blown Pathology

Oligomers of the amyloid- (A) protein are suspected to be responsible for the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, the development of compounds that are able to eliminate already formed toxic A oligomers is very desirable. Here, we describe the in vivo efficacy of the compound RD2, which was developed to directly and specifically eliminate toxic A oligomers. In a truly therapeutic, rather than a preventive study, oral treatment with RD2 was able to reverse cognitive deficits and significantly reduce A pathology in old-aged transgenic Alzheimer's Disease mice with full-blown pathology and behavioral deficits. For the first time, we demonstrate the in vivo target engagement of RD2 by showing a significant reduction of A oligomers in the brains of RD2-treated mice compared to placebo-treated mice. The correlation of A elimination in vivo and the reversal of cognitive deficits in old-aged transgenic mice support the hypothesis that A oligomers are relevant not only for disease development and progression, but also offer a promising target for the causal treatment of Alzheimer's disease.