Lead author Dr Jae Pyun (left), senior author Professor Joseph Nicolazzo (right).

Monash University researchers have found in laboratory experiments that a drug which delivers copper to the brain significantly reduces toxic Alzheimer’s proteins and improves long-term spatial memory.

The study, published today in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, shows the compound Cu(ATSM) repairs a vital waste-clearing pump at the blood-brain barrier – unlocking a potential new avenue of therapeutics targeting neurovascular dysfunction, caused by one of the world’s leading causes of death.