Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Find out more about TauRx, Alzheimer's and how our work could impact those living with the disease
Curious about tau protein
and its significance in
neurodegenerative diseases?
This FAQ section addresses common questions about tau, its role in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and how it relates to our research. We’ve compiled clear, concise answers to help both scientific and non-scientific audiences better understand this crucial aspect of our work.
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TauRx and dementia
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Who are we?
TauRx was founded in 2002 and is a leader in tau-based Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. Professor Claude M. Wischik, co-founder and Executive Chairman of TauRx, along with colleagues at the University of Aberdeen, has devoted decades to investigating the structure and role of tau tangles in the development of AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. He is the original discoverer of the composition of the tau protein pathology in AD.
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What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?
As defined by Alzheimer’s Disease International, dementia is a collective name for brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion, and is the leading cause of disability and dependency among the elderly. AD is the most common cause of dementia (approximately 50-75%), with other causes including vascular disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
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How big a problem is dementia?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports 57 million people worldwide lived with dementia in 2021, with more nearly 10 million new cases each year. Research has also shown someone develops the disease every 3 seconds so in the time it has taken you to read this sentence, approximately six more people will be affected.
It’s predicted this number will increase and reach 139 million in 2050. Already 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71%. The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India and their South Asian and Western Pacific neighbours.
The global cost of dementia is forecast to reach nearly US $3 trillion by 2030, which could overwhelm healthcare systems. In the United States alone, the cost of AD is forecast to be $1 trillion in 2050.
AD has an even wider impact on families. For example, in the United States, there are more than 11 million unpaid caregivers who provide 16 billion hours of unpaid care annually. This has an economic value of $271.6 billion.
To put everything into context, around 20 people have developed dementia since you started reading the answer to this question.
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Is TauRx involved in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis?
TauRx collaborated with Genting Berhad to create the joint venture GT Diagnostics, which aims to change the diagnostic landscape of dementia by developing the much-needed tools required for the early diagnosis and monitoring of its progression.
Its focus is on using digital tools to address the bottlenecks within the diagnostic pathway, aiding clinicians to streamline dementia diagnosis. Facilitating earlier diagnosis of dementia will enable more timely interventions, such as treatments and lifestyle changes.
Diagnostic developments are complementary to TauRx’s research expertise, which is focused on developing treatments to address these conditions.
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Has TauRx developed a cure for Alzheimer’s disease?
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for AD. HMTM is an investigational oral tau aggregation inhibitor that is being studied as a potential disease-modifying treatment; it is not approved by any regulator.
In the LUCIDITY study, treatment was associated with a slowing of cognitive decline in the MCI-AD subgroup over 78 and 104 weeks. If approved, HMTM has the potential to become the first oral tau-based treatment for AD.
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Our drug
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What does your drug do?
We have developed a potential oral therapy that targets the abnormal tau tangles in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which are linked to memory loss and cognitive decline. The drug, which is undergoing review by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is designed to act on these tangles, with the aim of helping to preserve the normal tau function that is essential for a healthy brain.
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How is your potential treatment different from other disease-modifying Alzheimer's drugs?
It is taken orally, targets tau protein rather than amyloid. This is different from the cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, which are taken orally to help with symptoms, and from the anti-amyloid treatments, which target the amyloid protein and are given by infusion. In clinical trials to date, it has not shown an increased risk of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and has not required infusions or intensive monitoring. It is hoped that, if approved, this could help it fit within existing health and social care systems.
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Why has it taken so long to develop a treatment?
Medical science always takes time because we need to be sure a treatment will produce the best results for people with AD – they are central to everything we do. TauRx is the first life sciences company to complete a phase 3 clinical trial targeting the tau pathology of AD and has been the pioneer of tau aggregation research. For the last few decades, teams at TauRx have worked tirelessly with the goal of creating a safe, effective and affordable treatment.
Every drug on the market has gone through this type of gradual development. It’s important to be flexible and adaptive – that’s how to get to the point we’re at now of having submitted the relevant documentation to regulators and we are determined to do everything we can to get a treatment to those who need it most.
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Who will be able to access your drug should it receive approval from regulators?
Our priority has always been helping the millions of patients with AD and their families with the development of a safe and effective treatment and working to maximise access to it. Dementia does not discriminate. AD is a global problem – it’s a disease that may affect everyone in some way. Our potential treatment is an easily administered oral drug. In clinical trial data collected to date for approximately 3,000 patients, it has not required extensive monitoring, which it is hoped would not result in extensive monitoring burden for healthcare systems. However, it is important to note that accessibility to all drugs is guided by regulators, and – once they are approved – healthcare professionals, and TauRx will work with all parties concerned.
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Tau protein
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What is tau?
The brain has approximately 86 billion interconnected neurons (brain cells) which communicate via electrical signals and chemical exchanges. Within each neuron, tau protein supports neuronal signalling and maintenance of cellular structure by binding and stabilising microtubules (dynamic structures in brain cells which transport essential nutrients).
Tau protein is critical for the normal function of your brain cells. It has a very important role in stabilising the structure of these cells and how they talk to one another.
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What are tau tangles?
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau proteins can become “tangled” which occurs when aggregated and misfolded tau stacks clump together and form insoluble stacks. This can lead to the cells becoming toxic, ultimately causing them to swell and burst. Once the brain cell is gone, there is no repairing or regaining it.
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How can tau pathology be measured in people?
It is currently quite difficult to accurately measure tau pathology in people, but specialist brain Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans enable this. Extensive research is now being carried out with blood biomarkers of the disease with even spot finger prick testing being trialled. With this, it is hoped that physicians will soon be able to measure tau pathology quickly and accurately using a simple blood test.
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How does tau treatment compare with existing AD treatments?
The treatments currently available for AD work in different ways. The longest-established medicines – the cholinesterase inhibitors (such as donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine) and memantine – are taken orally and help with the symptoms of AD, but do not target the underlying proteins. More recently approved anti-amyloid treatments target the amyloid protein, are given intravenously, and require more complex testing, administration and safety monitoring.
A tau-targeting approach is different again, aiming to act on the tau protein. Each individual case is different, so there may be instances where a combination of treatments will work best for a person with AD. No combination studies of developing treatments has yet been completed, however collaboration remains a cornerstone of life sciences research.
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Alzheimer's disease
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What can I do to reduce my risk of developing Alzheimer's disease?
There are plenty of things that we can all do to help reduce our risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In fact, there are now 14 recognised reversible causes or risk factors that we can tackle. Simple things that your mum and dad used to tell you when you were young are helpful – eat well, sleep well, exercise, don't smoke, don't take drugs, minimise alcohol, be healthy. Good body health is reflected in good brain health.
The 14 modifiable risk factors are:
- Physical inactivity
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Air pollution
- Head injury
- Infrequent social contact
- Less education
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Hearing impairment
- Untreated Vision Loss
- Elevated LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels
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How can I tell the difference between normal memory loss and something I need to worry about?
This is a very important thing to differentiate, and relatives and family are often best placed to work out if something is genuinely changing with a relative or a loved one. With normal ageing, the memory may not be as good as it once was, but the crucial thing is to decide if is this different for that person. Is it more than you would expect or are there different symptoms that you've noticed? If so, make an appointment with a GP.
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I’m going to the doctor to ask about a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease – what should I expect?
When you go to the GP, which is often the first port of call when you have concerns about your memory, you will discuss your concerns and about your history. They can do simple things like a blood test for reversible causes. This will just be the start of your journey, and it's a good partnership to engage in to explore more about what your concerns are.
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I’ve been diagnosed as having early onset Alzheimer’s disease – will it go on to be full-blown?
AD is a neurodegenerative disease, so yes, it will progress. There are a lot of things, however, that you can do to slow that progression. And with the advent of disease-modifying therapies, hopefully, we'll be able to stop it completely in the future.
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Do I get Alzheimer’s disease because my brain has stopped producing something?
With AD, two normal proteins that we need for good brain health start to behave abnormally, and form plaques and tangles. These are things that the brain cells can't clear, and they end up getting damaged by, so it's not that the brain is producing something abnormal, it's that these normal proteins start to behave abnormally.
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My parents both had dementia, am I more likely to get it?
Dementia itself is not inherited, but there is a form of inherited AD that affects a very small percentage of the population, and this occurs when younger. In general, the answer to that question is ‘no’. Just because you've seen your parents suffer with this disease, it doesn't mean that you yourself will ultimately get it as well.
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How should I treat someone I know who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease?
When someone has a diagnosis of AD, it doesn't mean they're a different person. They are still that same person inside and you should still relate to them in the same way as before. They are not diminished in any sense. Treat them as you would have done normally. Be patient and be understanding as they may just take a little longer to process information but treat them as the person you've always known.
