Patent ID: 7226730

Claim:
An in vitro method for screening a candidate drug that is potentially useful for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease, said method comprising: (a) contacting a candidate drug with a host cell transformed with a DNA construct, wherein said DNA construct comprises a DNA molecule that encodes the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, wherein said DNA molecule is under control of a heterologous neuro-specific promoter, and wherein said DNA molecule codes for a protein that has an activity of AD7c-NTP when expressed in neuronal cells, and (b) detecting at least one of the following: (i) the suppression or prevention of expression of the protein coded for by the DNA construct of said host cell; (ii) the increased degradation of the protein coded for by the DNA construct of said host cell; or (iii) the reduction of frequency of at least one of neuritic sprouting, nerve cell death, degenerating neurons, neurofibrillary tangles, or irregular swollen neurites and axons in said host cell; wherein said host cell is a neuronal cell; due to the drug candidate compared to a control cell line which has not contacted the candidate drug.