The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has discovered a protein that can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease

An international research team led by Professor Morningside Life Sciences at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Professor Hin-Ying Ip, Director of the Hong Kong Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (HKCeND), has discovered a blood protein that plays an important role

Alzheimer's disease is currently an irreversible disease that lacks effective treatments and affects more than 50 million people

Now, the team has discovered a blood protein, soluble ST2 (sST2), which plays a key role

The team further found that sST2 levels are regulated

Taken together, these key findings open up new possibilities for treatment with AD, the main purpose of which is to reduce sST2 levels

"This exciting work not only further deepens our understanding of AD and identifies an excellent drug target for developing therapeutic drugs, but also clearly demonstrates the importance of

This work was supported by the HKSAR Government's Innovation Hong Kong Initiative and in collaboration with researchers at University College London and Stanford University, clinicians at Prince of Wales Hospital, the University of Melbourne and Edith Cowan University

Article title

An IL1RL1 genetic variant lowers soluble ST2 levels and the risk effects of APOE-ε4 in female patients with Alzheimer’s disease