In 2012, excitement rippled through the scientific community with the discovery of an enzyme that appeared to be, just maybe, a powerful new tool for combating Alzheimer’s. At the Mayo Clinic in Florida researchers identified a gene, BACE2, which appeared to destroy beta-amyloid — a protein, then understood to be toxic, which is found in clusters in the brains of people living with Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer's is often diagnosed by measuring the amount of buildup of this protein. A large amount of it is an indicator of the disease. People with this buildup often do not have enough of the BACE2 enzyme created naturally in their body. If a way to synthesize this enzyme artificially or to prompt the body to create more were discovered, it could be hailed as a cure for Alzheimer's. How does the BACE2 enzyme work?
