Robert S. Haldeman Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology

The lab uncovered that amyloid protein kills brain cells, or neurons, through a membrane protein that contains a death signal that can trigger a cascade of destructive degeneration of the cells of Alzheimer’s brains.

This discovery indicates a correlation between the elevated beta-secretase enzymes and the amyloid protein in Alzheimer’s brains. That discovery supports the notion that the enzymes play an essential role in amyloid production in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease.

Those findings will not only advance the understanding of of Alzheimer’s disease, but also will provide alternative therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s treatments. As diligent as the research team have been in their work, there’s more to be done, because Alzheimer’s is a very complex disease.

The lab in conjunction with the Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research at Banner Sun Health Research Institute are conducting a cutting-edge clinical trial aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.