NU-9 halts Alzheimer’s disease in animal model before symptoms begin
December 18, 2025
An experimental drug developed at Northwestern has demonstrated further promise as an early intervention for Alzheimer’s disease.
In a new study, Richard Silverman and William Klein identified a previously unknown highly toxic sub-species of amyloid beta oligomers — toxic clusters of peptides — that appear to drive several of the brain’s earliest changes, including neuronal dysfunction, inflammation and activation of immune cells.
The experimental drug, a small-molecule compound called NU-9, decreased this toxic amyloid beta oligomer subtype and dramatically reduced the damage it causes in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. By addressing these changes at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers are hopeful NU-9 potentially could prevent, or significantly delay, the cascade of toxic events that ultimately destroy neurons.