The patent, which is entitled “AB42 Lowering Agents”, was licensed to Myriad from Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic.
Amyloid beta 42 is a neurotoxic peptide, which Myriad claims is the primary constituent of senile plaques that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. It is thought to be the key initiator of Alzheimer’s disease because it has the greatest tendency to aggregate, cause neuronal damage and initiate amyloid deposits in the brain.
Most genetic mutations that cause early-onset Alzheimer’s disease appear to do so by increasing production of Abeta42.