The Thirty Year Bet on Amyloid

For more than three decades, one protein has occupied an extraordinary place in Alzheimer’s research. Amyloid-beta accumulates in the brain, forms the plaques associated with the disease and became

For more than three decades, one protein has occupied an extraordinary place in Alzheimer’s research. Amyloid-beta accumulates in the brain, forms the plaques associated with the disease and became the target of repeated attempts to change its course. The wager was that intervening in this biology could preserve memory and independence. After many disappointments, clinical trials finally supplied evidence that some amyloid-targeting antibodies can slow decline in people with early Alzheimer’s di