The quest for autophagy-boosting drugs: from theory to reality
The autophagy biochemistry has been identified as a promising approach to age-related disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases. In academia, there has been a significant effort to advance our understanding of this field and pave the way for groundbreaking therapies. How close are we, with real challenges to harness the power of autophagy in order to develop effective therapies for this disease? …?
It is impossible to overstate the devastating impact that neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), which is the most common type of Motor Neurone Disease. According to WHO, neurological disorders affect more than a billion people worldwide and are the leading causes of disability and death [1, 2]. The incidence is also increasing, primarily due to population growth and ageing. People who suffer from these diseases have a grim future, as there is no cure.
This disease area has been subject to intensive research for many decades and some breakthroughs have occurred along the way that may offer hope for the development new therapies. It has been a huge challenge to translate scientific breakthroughs into drugs that are useful for patients.
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From theory to reality: the quest for autophagy boosting drugs
