Methods of screening for compounds which inhibit soluble .beta.-amyloid peptide production

A method for assaying a test compound for the ability to inhibit .beta.-amyloid peptide (.beta.AP) production by cells, said method comprising:

• culturing a first population of mammalian cells in a culture medium under conditions which result in generation of a soluble .beta.AP which can be specifically detected in the culture medium;
• culturing a second population of the same mammalian cells in a second culture medium under identical conditions to the first population, except that the test compound is present in the second culture medium;
• specifically determining the amounts of soluble .beta.AP present in the culture media of the first and the second population of cells using the same assay;
• comparing the amounts of soluble .beta.AP to determine whether the test compound has had an effect on soluble .beta.AP generation by the cultured cells;
• and
• identifying test compounds diminishing the amount of soluble .beta.AP present in the second culture medium as .beta.AP production inhibitors.

A method for identifying .beta.-amyloid peptide (.beta.AP) production inhibitors, said method comprising:

• culturing mammalian cells in a culture medium under conditions which result in generation of soluble .beta.AP in the presence of other fragments of .beta.-amyloid precursor protein;
• exposing the cultured cells to a test compound;
• measuring the amount of soluble .beta.AP present in the culture media, which measurement is specific for .beta.AP and substantially unaffected by the presence of other APP fragments;
• and
• identifying test compounds which diminish the amount of soluble .beta.AP present in the culture media.