C-Path Vice President of Neurology and Executive Director of Critical Path for Parkinson’s (CPP) Consortium Diane Stephenson was recently quoted in the BioCentury article, “Is tau approaching a tipping point in Alzheimer’ s drug development?” by Selina Koch.
The article explores the growing momentum in targeting tau protein for Alzheimer’s disease treatment. While previous efforts have largely focused on amyloid-beta, recent advances suggest that tau may offer a more direct correlation with cognitive decline and potentially fewer side effects. The article highlights the convergence of diverse therapeutic candidates and the push for recognizing tau as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials, indicating a significant shift in Alzheimer’s research and drug development strategies.
“The risk of not sharing is higher than sharing. The more we can advocate and recommend specific standards for acquisition of data, the collection of the data and the analysis of data, the better the outcome for the whole community,” Stephenson states in the article. “ Otherwise, when we get this data through the meta-analytic framework, it’ s not all going to line up. The standards are key.”
Despite past clinical setbacks, the field is witnessing renewed optimism, bolstered by lessons learned from decades of research and trial design. The article discusses how companies are now better equipped to develop tau-targeted therapies, with a deeper understanding of the disease’s pathology and improved biomarkers for tracking treatment efficacy. This evolving landscape suggests that tau is not only a promising target but may also redefine the trajectory of Alzheimer’s therapeutics in the near future.
You can read the article in its entirety here.
