Gold nanocluster binds both pTau and E3 ligase, initiating the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and degrading pTau, as seen via immunostaining (Blue – Hoechst, red – TUJ1, green – pTau)
Invention Summary:
Hyperphosphorylated tau protein, a key clinical marker for various neurodegenerative diseases, leads to abnormal aggregation of tau protein. Phosphorylated tau is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease, and is also indicated in various other neurodegenerative diseases such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Pick’s Disease, various types of dementia, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, etc. While directly targeting Tau has shown limited results in clinical trials, targeting phosphorylated Tau is expected to yield more results.
Rutgers University Distinguished Professor KiBum Lee and his team have developed a novel gold nanocluster combining proteolysis-targeting chimera components targeting phosphorylated Tau with anti-inflammatory compounds to treat chronic neuroinflammation present in Alzheimer’s disease. This approach has shown promising results in an in vitro model of Alzheimer’s disease, using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuroprogenitor cells.
Market Applications:
Treatment for neurodegenerative diseases characterized by Tau hyperphosphorylation and neuroinflammation
Alzheimer’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease
CTE
ALS
Advantages:
Simultaneous degradation of pTau and reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling
Demonstrated BBB penetration capabilities
Highly tailorable and tunable
Intellectual Property & Development Status: Provisional application filed. Patent pending. Available for licensing and/or research collaboration. For any business development and other collaborative partnerships, contact: marketingbd@research.rutgers.edu