TauTaTis' lead compound "could work in PD as well as AD"

US drug developer TauTaTis says that its lead compound for inhibition of tau protein pathology, the specific neurodegenerative process in  Alzheimer's disease, has been identified as the most potent inhibitor of  the activity of the Parkinson's disease gene LRRK2 reported to date.  Mutations of this gene are believed to increase its activity, and are  the most frequent genetic cause of the latter condition, the firm noted.

TauTaTis' lead compound is a proprietary small-molecule that has shown  good tolerability in animals with chronic oral dosing, and enters the  brain at therapeutically-relevant concentrations. The new findings of a  role in PD suggest it is therefore a promising development candidate for  two of the most important degenerative neurological conditions of the  aged population, the firm noted.

Most cases of Parkinson's are not obviously linked to genetic mutations,  but about 10% of the cases are inherited. Several genes have been  identified as drivers of the disease, with LRRK2 being the most  prominent.