So what are some of the promising studies now under way? Further blogs will highlight these efforts but here is one interesting one, along with its stage (still mice) and methods: Researchers at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research at Rockefeller University have found a target called casein kinase 1 which has chemicals that do not interfere with an essential pathway often blocked by other anti-amyloid compounds. It is the amyloid-beta which builds up when a bigger protein is broken into pieces. When the researchers blocked the casein kinase 1 the production of amyloid-beta protein was seen to go down without negative side effects. The focus on casein kinase 1 started because in studies of brain tissue from Alzheimer’s patients, the studies showed an increase in casein kinase 1 expression. In addition, the enzymes known to be involved in the amyloid production called BACE and gamma-secretase, were targets of casein kinase 1 so researchers started looking more closely at why this was happening in the hope that it might lead to a drug to prevent the amyloid development. The scientists modified mouse cells to create a form of casein kinase 1 that was active and fond that they produced more amyloid-beta protein than normal. They then used three chemicals that blocked the protein from functioning and were able to reverse the production of amyloid-beta protein, without negative side effects.