PREP inhibition for tauopathies

Inhibiting the serine protease PREP could help treat tauopathies by promoting autophagy and dephosphorylation of tau by PP2A, both of which help reduce tau aggregates.

In a cell-free assay, a small molecule PREP inhibitor tool compound decreased tau aggregation compared with vehicle. In a human cell line expressing tau and in neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from frontotemporal dementia patients, the PREP inhibitor decreased tau aggregation and increased cellular viability compared with vehicle. ...