A study, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and co-led by Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD, CWRU Distinguished University Professor and Case CCC Cancer Genomics and Epigenomics Program member, discovered that SW033291—a drug that was originally developed in the Markowitz lab to activate stem cells to repair tissue damage in mouse models of colitis and bone-marrow transplants—may help treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions.
The researchers found that 15-PGDH (15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase), an enzyme in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), harms the BBB when it becomes elevated in conditions such as AD, traumatic brain injury, and aging. To determine how to protect the BBB in these situations, they used SW033291 to block the enzyme. The result? The drug effectively shut down the enzyme, protecting the BBB and preserving the brain's cognition and memory capacity.
“Finding that blocking 15-PGDH also blocks brain inflammation and protects the BBB was an exciting new discovery,” Markowitz said. “Inhibiting 15-PGDH thus offers a completely new approach for AD treatment.”