Ceres obtains United States patent.
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenchaften (Munich,
Germany) has patented epitopes of the tau protein Tau proteins are microtubule-associated proteins that are abundant in neurons in the central nervous system and are less common elsewhere. They were discovered in 1975 in Marc Kirschner's laboratory at Princeton University et al., 1975">http://www.pnas. which are specifically
occurring in a phosphorylated state in tau protein from Alzheimer paired
helical filaments paired helical filaments Neuropathology Paired structures that are core constituents of the neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease and occur in Down syndrome, Hallervorden-Spatz disease, lead encephalopathy, lipofuscinosis, subacute sclerosing , to protein kinases which are responsible for the
phosphorylation phosphorylation, chemical process in which a phosphate group is added to an organic molecule. In living cells phosphorylation is associated with respiration, which takes place in the cell's mitochondria, and photosynthesis, which takes place in the chloroplasts. of the amino acids of the tau protein giving rise to
said epitopes, and to antibodies specific for said epitopes. The
invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions for the
treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. , to diagnostic
compositions and methods for the detection of Alzheimer's disease
and to the use of said epitopes for the generation of antibodies
specifically detecting Alzheimer tau protein. Additionally, the
invention relates to methods for testing drugs effective in dissolving
Alzheimer paired helical filaments or preventing the formation thereof.
(US 7,408,027)
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