Korea identifies protein that helps spread Alzheimer’s-linked tau

South Korean researchers have identified a protein that helps a substance linked to Alzheimer’s disease spread between brain cells, a finding that could open a path for research into potential treatments.

The National Institute of Health said Wednesday that its researchers had established the role of a protein called FAM84B in promoting the transfer of tau between cells. The institute, part of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, described the finding as a world first.

Tau helps maintain the structure of nerve cells. When it becomes abnormal and accumulates, it can contribute to nerve cell damage in Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Its spread to neighboring cells is associated with disease progression, though the factors driving that process are not completely understood.

The researchers analyzed postmortem brain tissue and nerve cells derived from stem cells. They found higher levels of FAM84B in samples associated with Alzheimer’s and certain other tau-related diseases than in those from people without dementia.

Increasing FAM84B levels also increased both the amount of tau released from cells and the number of neighboring cells receiving it, the institute said.

“This study is the first to show that FAM84B plays an important role in the process through which neuroinflammation affects tau transmission,” Cho Chul-man, a researcher at the institute who led the study, said.

“Further research is needed to determine how this pathway affects actual disease progression and assess its potential as a therapeutic target.”

Kim Won-ho, director of the institute’s department of chronic disease convergence research, said understanding the biological mechanisms behind the onset and progression of dementia was essential to tackling the disease.

The institute plans to link research using human-derived samples with stem cell studies to build evidence for further investigation, he said.