Scientists at the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde are working together to find a new type of drug which may be able to slow or prevent loss of memory which occurs as we get older, and which could be valuable as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Trevor Stone, Professor of Pharmacology at Glasgow University, and his research team have isolated a new protein - which he has dubbed Cadeprin - which his research suggests may be linked to memory loss. The new protein has effects on nerve cells which are very similar to those believed to occur when we forget. Cadeprin may be the substance responsible for our increasing loss of memory as we age. And the dramatic loss of memory and confusion which occurs in Alzheimer's disease might be the result of producing excessive amounts of cadeprin.

Cadeprin acts on nerve cells in the memory centre of the brain to reduce their activity. A single, short administration has effects that last for hours. Professor Stone believes that human brains contain similar proteins - so by finding ways to stop the release or actions of cadeprin, the ability to remember should be improved.

Professor Alan Harvey, down the road at the University of Strathclyde's department of Physiology and Pharmacology, is seeking to find a substance to block the protein's development from the Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research's extensive Natural Products Library which contains thousands of plant extracts from around the world.

More than 80% of medicines have been derived from natural products, and SIDR's collection is one of the most varied in the world. This means that it is likely to contain chemicals that can interact with cadeprin.

Professor Harvey said: "It is like looking for a needle in a haystack but, with the combination of expertise from both universities and the application of modern technology, we will find what we need."

The work is being carried out under the Universities' joint PharmaLinks initiative which brings together the complementary research expertise of Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities. Professors Stone and Harvey are now seeking external sources of funding to pursue this work, which could yield the first drugs aimed specifically at the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and ageing disorders of the brain.

Past research successes of the PharmaLinks collaboration have included identifying the shikimate pathway in DNA as the means by which malaria takes hold in the human body and the discovery that glyphosate - a cheap chemical used in weedkillers - halts the growth of the malaria parasite.

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Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

1. Pharmalinks was established in 2000 to exploit the concentration of the City of Glasgow?s medical and pharmaceutical research capabilities - the largest such concentration outside London.

2. Pharmalinks fosters the synergy of the two Universities medical and pharmaceutical research strengths for commercialisation so that both universities gain increased funding from industry for further research.

3. Alzheimer's disease occurs usually in older people and starts with a gradual loss of memory but leads to a severe mental confusion and physical incapacity.

4. 12 million people globally suffer from Alzheimer's disease today - 500,000 in the UK alone, with over 22 milion predicted to be affected by 2025.

Contact: Judith Fryer, Press Officer, University of Strathclyde, 0141 548 4123.

First published: 5 November 2001