Northwestern researcher designs compound that combats Alzheimer's disease

• As described in the Jan. 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the compound, called MW01-5-188WH, selectively inhibits production of pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines by glia, important cells of the central nervous system that normally help the body mount a response, but are overactivated in certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury.
• The compound was designed and synthesized in the laboratory of D. Martin Watterson at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, using a synthetic chemistry platform developed in his lab by researchers at the Northwestern University Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology (CDDCB) for the rapid discovery of new potential therapeutic compounds.
• Watterson is co-director of the CDDCB, the J.G. Searle Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and professor of molecular pharmacology and biological chemistry at the Feinberg School.
• There is a delicate balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory hormones, including cytokines, in the neuron's environment.
• Rational drug design methods allow the targeted development of chemical compounds designed for very specific purposes.
• These compounds are not necessarily safe and effective because they were "rationally designed."
• They must still go through a thorough vetting process by national drug regulatory agencies.
• But even if these pinpoint specific compounds fail the tests for regulatory approval, they are often still useful scientific probes for studying biological systems.
• Development of these rapid discovery tools is one of many new mechanisms propelling biological science rapidly ahead.