Patent ID: 6153171
Filing Date: 2000-11-28
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07C,C07K

Abstract:
A method of identifying compounds that modulate levels of .alpha.-sAPP or the ratio of .alpha.-sAPP to total sAPP in cerebrospinal fluid, comprising:administering a compound to a test subject; anddetecting either:(i) an increase in the ratio of .alpha.-sAPP to sAPP in a sample of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) from the subject, or(ii) an increase in the amount of .alpha.-sAPP in a sample of CSF from the subject, whereby effective compounds are identified,wherein:the increase is in ratio or amount compared to such ratio or amount in a sample of CSF prior to administering the compound;.alpha.-sAPP is a cleavage product of amyloid precursor protein (APP) that (i) reacts with an antibody specific for the N-terminus of APP, (ii) reacts with an antibody specific for an epitope in the first 17 amino acids of amyloid .beta.-protein (A.beta.), and (iii) when produced from an APP molecule, precludes formation of A.beta. from that molecule.