{"id":23224,"date":"2025-04-25T20:16:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T20:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=23224"},"modified":"2025-04-25T21:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T21:17:09","slug":"ai-helps-uncover-alzheimers-disease-mechanism-and-identify-potential-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/ai-helps-uncover-alzheimers-disease-mechanism-and-identify-potential-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Helps Uncover Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Mechanism and Identify Potential Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Researchers at UC San Diego have utilized artificial intelligence to uncover a previously unknown function of a gene linked to Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, offering new insights into its causes and identifying a potential therapeutic candidate.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers at the University of California San Diego have leveraged artificial intelligence to discover a new cause of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and pinpoint a potential treatment, offering fresh hope in the battle against this devastating condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a new study <a href=\"https:\/\/linkinghub.elsevier.com\/retrieve\/pii\/S0092867425003976\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Cell, the research team revealed that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), a gene recently identified as a biomarker for Alzheimer\u2019s, is not just associated with the disease but actually contributes to its development due to a previously undiscovered secondary function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, treatment options for Alzheimer\u2019s disease are very limited. And treatment responses are not outstanding at this moment,&#8221; senior author Sheng Zhong, a professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego&#8217;s Jacobs School of Engineering, said in a news release<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting about one in nine people aged 65 and older. While some genetic mutations are known to directly lead to Alzheimer\u2019s, these account for only a small percentage of cases. For the majority of patients without these genetic mutations, known as &#8220;spontaneous&#8221; Alzheimer\u2019s, the causes have remained largely unknown, making this new discovery particularly significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research team previously found that the expression levels of the PHGDH gene were directly correlated with the severity of Alzheimer&#8217;s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their latest study confirmed that PHGDH is indeed a causal gene for spontaneous Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Through AI, they discovered that PHGDH disrupts the gene expression process in the brain, a revelation that clarifies its role in disease progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It really demanded modern AI to formulate the three-dimensional structure very precisely to make this discovery,&#8221; Zhong added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PHGDH\u2019s known role involves producing an enzyme essential for the amino acid serine. However, the research team discovered that the protein created by PHGDH also has a structural similarity to known DNA-binding domains, allowing it to disrupt gene regulation in brain cells \u2014 key in the early stages of Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To tackle this, the researchers explored potential inhibitors of PHGDH\u2019s newly discovered function. Among these, a small molecule called NCT-503 showed promise. Unlike other candidates, NCT-503 did not affect the enzyme&#8217;s primary role in serine production and could cross the blood-brain barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing NCT-503 in two mouse models of Alzheimer\u2019s, the team noted significant improvements in memory and anxiety, symptoms that closely mirror the human experience of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now there is a therapeutic candidate with demonstrated efficacy that has the potential of being further developed into clinical tests,\u201d aded Zhong. \u201cThere may be entirely new classes of small molecules that can potentially be leveraged for development into future therapeutics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While acknowledging limitations \u2014 such as the lack of perfect animal models for spontaneous Alzheimer\u2019s \u2014 these findings are seen as a critical step forward. The next phase will focus on optimizing the compound and pursuing FDA IND-enabling studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/today.ucsd.edu\/story\/ai-helps-unravel-a-cause-of-alzheimers-disease-and-identify-a-therapeutic-candidate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of California San Diego<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at the University of California San Diego have leveraged artificial intelligence to discover a new cause of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and pinpoint a potential treatment, offering fresh hope in the battle against this devastating condition. In a new study published in the journal Cell, the research team revealed that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), a gene recently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[206],"class_list":["post-23224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","tag-uc-san-diego"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Researchers at the University of California San Diego have leveraged artificial intelligence to discover a new cause of Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and pinpoint a potential treatment, offering fresh hope in the battle against this devastating condition. In a new study published in the journal Cell, the research team revealed that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), a gene recently&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23224"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23265,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23224\/revisions\/23265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}