Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and it accounts for an estimated 60% – 80% of cases. The hallmark pathologies of AD are the progressive accumulation of the protein fragment beta-amyloid (plaques) outside neurons in the brain, and twisted strands of the protein tau (tangles) inside neurons.
The most common early symptom is short term memory loss, but with time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, new symptoms develop and become more severe. Such symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care, behavioural issues, and eventually leads to death.
Oxford Biodynamics PLC (LON:OBD) was spun out from Oxford University in June 2007 with the aim of translating fundamental scientific advances into a commercialised platform technology and a new generation of biomarkers for cancer, ALS and other diseases.