Tau Protein-Targeted Therapies in Alzheimer’s Disease: Current State and Future Perspectives

Drugs available on the market for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease show only low symptomatic efficacy and phase 3 clinical trials against amyloid have been negative over the past 20 years. As dysfunctional tau protein is more closely correlated with dementia than amyloid, targeting tau protein may be more effective in improving cognitive function in cases of Alzheimer’s disease. It should be emphasized that the development of tau protein therapy is in many ways more complicated than the development of anti-amyloid therapy. Several antibodies to the tau protein and two vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials. Relatively speaking, tau protein therapy for Alzheimer’s disease is still in its infancy. The purpose of this chapter is to draw the readers’ attention to the various uncertainties and barriers to the success of tau protein therapy in treating Alzheimer’s disease, and to show how future research and clinical trials can avoid previous limitations or mistakes.