Tiny Protein Confirmed to Dismantle the Toxic Clumps Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Tiny Protein Confirmed to Dismantle the Toxic Clumps Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease​

By Andy Corbley
Sep 8, 2025

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have demonstrated for the first time that the protein midkine plays a preventative role in Alzheimer’s disease.
Midkine is known to accumulate in Alzheimer’s patients, but rather than accelerate the disease, it seems to prevents a second, sticky protein from clumping together—the chief hallmark in this form of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease drug research almost exclusively focuses on amyloid beta, referred to sometimes as tau protein—its molecular class. There are 6 kinds of tau proteins, and they’re necessary for maintaining the stability of microtubules in human nerve fibers, but when tau proteins—in particular amyloid beta—become hyperphosphorylated, they are observed to clump together around neurons and cause a kind of atrophy.
This is generally considered to be the pathology and driver of Alzheimer’s disease. The rot cause is manifold, with a patient’s genetic mutations, sex, toxin exposure, and sleep history all suspected to play a role.
Midkine, the other molecular character in this tale, is a small, multifunctional growth factor protein found abundantly during embryonic development but also involved in normal cell growth.
Its role in cell growth means that midkine is often overexpressed in cancer, making it a valuable biomarker. However, beyond some preliminary studies showing its increase in Alzheimer’s, midkine’s link to the neurodegenerative disease has been poorly understood.

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Tiny Protein Confirmed to Dismantle the Toxic Clumps Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have demonstrated for the first time that the protein midkine plays a preventative role in Alzheimer’s disease. Midkine is known to accumulate in Alzheimer’s patients, but rather than accelerate the disease, it seems to prevents a second...

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[Kem]

Interesting however there is this from AI. I will probably be checking into more reliable sources to understand more of this.
"
Why you should not try to increase midkine
Midkine is a growth factor that plays complex and sometimes contradictory roles in the body. While it has some beneficial effects during embryonic development and tissue repair, its re-expression in adults is strongly linked to disease.
Elevated midkine levels in adults are associated with:

• Cancer: Midkine is overexpressed in many human tumors, including cancers of the oral cavity, lungs, liver, and brain. It promotes the growth, survival, and metastasis of cancer cells and can contribute to treatment resistance.
• Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases: High levels of midkine have been found in patients with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis. It contributes to inflammation by attracting immune cells and promoting the release of inflammatory cytokines.
• Cardiovascular disease: Studies have shown that serum midkine levels are significantly higher in patients with essential hypertension and peripheral artery disease."

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Interesting however there is this from AI. I will probably be checking into more reliable sources to understand more of this.
"
Why you should not try to increase midkine
Midkine is a growth factor that plays complex and sometimes contradictory roles in the body. While it has some beneficial effects during embryonic development and tissue repair, its re-expression in adults is strongly linked to disease.
Elevated midkine levels in adults are associated with:

• Cancer: Midkine is overexpressed in many human tumors, including cancers of the oral cavity, lungs, liver, and brain. It promotes the growth, survival, and metastasis of cancer cells and can contribute to treatment resistance.
• Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases: High levels of midkine have been found in patients with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis. It contributes to inflammation by attracting immune cells and promoting the release of inflammatory cytokines.
• Cardiovascular disease: Studies have shown that serum midkine levels are significantly higher in patients with essential hypertension and peripheral artery disease."

AI is wrong over 60 percent of the time.

+1000 on finding more reliable sources.