Scientists at ETH Zurich have created a new experimental medicine called Compound 10. In mouse tests, the drug slowed the loss of brain cells, helped the animals live longer, and worked on a target that current Alzheimer’s medicines miss.
The project started almost 20 years ago when Professor Ursula Quitterer received brain samples from surgeries in Cairo. The samples came from people with and without dementia. They led her team to study a protein named GRK2.
GRK2 is a regulator that helps many cells, including heart and brain cells, respond to signals and stress. By looking at both human tissue and mouse models, the researchers found that too‑much inactive GRK2 builds up in the brains of people with dementia.
When GRK2 becomes inactive, it sticks together in clumps. These clumps attach to mitochondria – the tiny power plants inside cells – and block their tiny pores. The blockage reduces energy production and creates stress inside nerve cells.
Inactive GRK2 also makes the brain produce more amyloid‑beta, a sticky protein fragment linked to Alzheimer’s. More amyloid‑beta adds extra stress, which creates even more inactive GRK2. The result is a damaging cycle that speeds up the disease.
To break this loop, the team tested several lab compounds. Compound 10 performed best. It stopped GRK2 from forming harmful clumps, let mitochondria work normally, lowered amyloid‑beta deposits, and kept nerve cells healthier.
Beyond the brain, treated mice showed better heart function and fewer gray hairs as they aged, suggesting broader benefits.
The research took many years because Alzheimer’s studies use older mice that live two years or more. Each experiment needed months to show clear results, which made progress slower than in fields like cancer research.
Now the scientists have filed a patent for Compound 10 and are looking for a partner to move the drug toward clinical trials. Existing Alzheimer’s medicines only delay symptoms for a few months. By targeting GRK2, Compound 10 works in a completely new way.
More work is needed before the drug can be tested in people, but the discovery opens a fresh path for treatment. Combining Compound 10 with current medicines might one day give patients a stronger defense against Alzheimer’s.