Development of innovative tauopathy therapeutic agents using catalytic antibodies

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K06589
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 47010:Pharmaceutical chemistry and drug development sciences-related
• Research Institution: Suzuka University of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: Taguchi Hiroaki 鈴鹿医療科学大学, 薬学部, 教授 (20549068)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 抗体酵素 / タウオパチー / タウタンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tauopathy is a general term for neurodegenerative diseases in which a large amount of tau protein, which is a microtubule-associated protein, is stored in nerve cells, and includes Alzheimer's disease and the like. In this study, we designed and synthesized catalytic antibody-inducing reagents for generating a catalytic antibody that cleaves tau protein, which would be the causative molecule of tauopathy. We have successfully synthesized a catalytic antibody-inducing reagent by molecularly designing a catalytic antibody-inducing reagent containing the amino acid sequence that expresses tau protein aggregation and subsequent neurotoxicity, and by combining a solid-phase peptide synthesis method and a liquid phase method.

Free Research Field

医薬品化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

効果的な治療薬がないタウオパチーの治療薬の創製を目指し、タウタンパク質を分子標的とした抗体酵素を得る誘導体試薬の合成は、タウタンパク質を特異的に加水分解する抗体を作製することができる独自のアプローチであり、学術的評価は高い。また、これまで根本的治療薬がなかったタウオパチーの治療を大きく前進させることができる可能性がある。また、抗体酵素は既存の抗体医薬に比べ、投与量を大幅に減少させることができることから、抗体医薬がかかえる副作用や高額な医療費などの問題を解決することが期待されるため、社会的意義もあると考えている。