A tiny piece of a critical receptor that fuels the brain shows promise as a new drug target for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. “This is the first time that this site has been shown to be useful as a drug target,” says Gabriela K. Popescu, associate professor of biochemistry at the University at Buffalo. “If we could find a drug that attaches itself to this site and locks together NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor subunits, that would be huge for fighting disability from stroke and Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.”
