Researchers at ETH Zurich have made a new chemical called "Compound 10". It may help slow down Alzheimer’s disease.
The team tested the drug in mice. The mice showed less brain cell loss and lived longer than untreated animals.
A New Target: The Enzyme GRK2
Twenty years ago, scientists got brain samples from a hospital in Cairo. They used the tissue to study an enzyme named GRK2.
GRK2 helps cells react to signals and stress. It works in the heart and the brain, keeping nerve cells healthy.
In people with dementia, a large amount of GRK2 was found in an inactive form. The same pattern appeared in mouse models of Alzheimer’s.
Why Inactive GRK2 Is Harmful
When GRK2 becomes inactive, it sticks together and forms clumps inside brain cells. These clumps block the pores of mitochondria – the cell’s power plants.
Blocked mitochondria cannot make enough energy, so cells become stressed and start to die.
Inactive GRK2 also raises the level of amyloid‑beta, a protein fragment that is a major cause of Alzheimer’s. More amyloid‑beta creates more stress, which then produces even more inactive GRK2. This creates a vicious cycle.
How Compound 10 Breaks the Cycle
The researchers made several chemicals and tested them on cells and mice. Compound 10 worked best.
It stopped GRK2 from clumping, letting mitochondria work properly. Mice treated with Compound 10 had lower amyloid‑beta levels and healthier brain cells.
Surprisingly, the drug also improved heart function and reduced signs of aging, such as grey hair, in older mice.
What Comes Next?
Compound 10 is still in the laboratory stage. The scientists have filed a patent and are looking for a partner to move the drug toward human trials.
Alzheimer’s research takes many years because the disease develops slowly and experiments need older animals, which take time to grow.
Existing medicines only slow the disease a little. Because Compound 10 works on a different pathway – the GRK2 enzyme – it could be used together with current drugs to help patients live better lives.