diff --git a/docs/project/background.md b/docs/project/background.md index eeda885..c69cfe5 100644 --- a/docs/project/background.md +++ b/docs/project/background.md @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Targeting NAFLD is crucial due to its widespread prevalence, lack of effective t Thanks to medical and technological advancements, we are living longer, but this has led to an increase in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's. In Switzerland alone, dementia-related diseases incurred costs of 13.74 billion USD in 2017 [^alz_1], and globally, the number of cases is expected to rise to 135 million by 2050[^alz_2]. This growing burden highlights the urgent need for innovative and effective solutions. Despite decades of research, most current therapies focus on managing symptoms rather than curing the diseases. For example, traditional pharmacological therapies, like cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's and dopamine agonists for Parkinson's, aim to manage symptoms without addressing the root causes [^alz_3][^alz_4]. -Non-pharmacological interventions—such as rehabilitation, brain stimulation, and cognitive training—can improve quality of life but do not halt disease progression. Promising new approaches include antibody-based therapies, which aim to neutralise disease-associated proteins by promoting their clearance and preventing their aggregation and spread. However, this strategy faces significant challenges. Antibodies are large molecules that struggle to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, meaning they primarily target extracellular protein deposits, leaving the toxic protein accumulations inside cells unaddressed. Given these limitations, there is a pressing need for more innovative approaches that can effectively target the underlying causes of neurodegenerative disease. +Non-pharmacological interventions—such as rehabilitation, brain stimulation, and cognitive training—can improve quality of life but do not halt disease progression. Promising new approaches include antibody-based therapies, which aim to neutralise disease-associated proteins by promoting their clearance and preventing their aggregation and spread. However, this strategy faces significant challenges. Antibodies are large molecules that struggle to penetrate the blood-brain barrier as well as the cell membrane, meaning they primarily target extracellular deposits, leaving the toxic protein accumulations unaddressed. Given these limitations, there is a pressing need for more innovative approaches that can effectively target the underlying causes of neurodegenerative disease. ## Targeted Protein Degradation presents a promising therapeutic strategy