The fourth issue of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters Journal features art compiled by University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy PhD student Ahmed Hefny for their research, Novel Phenoselenazines as Amyloid-β Aggregation Inhibitors.
Hefny’s research, alongside Waterloo Pharmacy associate professor Dr. Praveen Nekkar, focuses on the development of selenium-based compounds into promising drug candidates to fight the buildup of amyloid-beta,neurotoxic protein molecules that contribute to Alzheimer's disease. These selenium molecules promote the removal of the toxic amyloid-beta clusters that directly contribute to Alzheimer's.
The cover depicts a spray bottle with small molecules of selenium. Hefny’s idea illustrates the activation of the spray bottle to release a solution of small molecules that can sweep up the toxic amyloid beta found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. These small molecules are intended to clear our neuronal cells of Alzheimer’s, setting the brain back to a healthy state. Hefny used artificial intelligence (AI) tools and BioRender software to design the figure that he then compiled into one image.
Alzheimer's is a complicated brain disease which has no cure, where current medications only relieve a patient’s symptoms. Upcoming approved medications are very expensive and not suitable for all patients as they must be administered through an injection. Hefny’s novel small molecules are an affordable alternative to expensive drugs and provide a new hope for Alzheimer’s patients to improve their quality of life, potentially preventing the disease progression.
This research was funded by NSERC, the School of Pharmacy and the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education.