Ordinarily in the development of Alzheimer’s, the formation these of clusters, known as oligomers, sets off a chain reaction and they spread throughout the brain. Brichos – a kind of molecule known as a "molecular chaperone", which exists naturally in the body, can bind to the surface of amyloid fibrils and prevents them assisting other proteins from binding into clusters.
Scientists have claimed a significant breakthrough in the search for possible drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s, after discovering a naturally-occurring molecule that blocks a key step in the development of the disease.

An international team of researchers including experts from the University of Cambridge struck upon the molecule after extensive investigations into the chain of events inside the brain, which lead to Alzheimer’s.

Discovering molecules that offer protection is hugely important, because they can offer clues to what substances could eventually be harnessed in drug treatments.

The molecule, called brichos, interrupts the process whereby malfunctioning proteins in the brain form into toxic clusters – a key link in the chain of molecular events that scientists now think leads to Alzheimer’s.

It works by sticking to threads of proteins – known as amyloid fibrils – and preventing them coming into contact with other proteins and forming clusters.