Novel Multifunctional and Disease-modifying Dimers for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Mainly affecting the ageing population, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by the impairment of cognitive functions such as memory, thinking and behaviors. Currently, the single targeted anti-AD drugs have low efficacy and can only improve the symptoms. Therefore, further research and development of more efficacious and disease-modifying agents for the prevention, treatment and restoration of neurodegenative disorders will have tremendous scientific and economic values.

PolyU has developed a series of dimers derived from tacrine, a drug currently used for treating Alzheimer’s disease. These dimers are multi-targeting drugs which can inhibit acetylcholinesterase and anti-neurotoxicity. When compared with the existing drugs, these novel multifunctional dimers have shown more promising anti-AD effects on models with AD in vitro and in vivo.