Millions of people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease, yet current treatments do little to slow the progression of the disease. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are working to change that by developing a new therapeutic approach designed to target one of the disease’s underlying mechanisms.
Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D., Rebecca Gale–Heersink Endowed Chair in the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology and Director of the Frances Gorrie Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UAB, leads a team developing a novel class of small-molecule compounds that selectively disrupt harmful interactions of the protein tau, which is one of the key players in Alzheimer’s disease. 
Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D.
“Our work focuses on Tau and genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, aiming to understand the role these proteins play in neuronal function, how they go awry in Alzheimer’s disease, and how they could be targeted therapeutically,” Roberson said.
Unlike traditional approaches that broadly target proteins involved in the disease, the technology is designed to interrupt disease-causing signaling while preserving the normal functions of healthy proteins.
While initially developed for Alzheimer’s disease, the technology also has the potential to be applied to other neurological disorders with neuronal hyperexcitability, providing a promising platform for future therapies.
"Progress in Alzheimer's disease research has accelerated remarkably in recent years, and I believe tau-targeted therapies are the next major advance,” Roberson said. “Our approach is unique because it disrupts specific tau interactions that appears to drive dysfunction early in the disease process, before significant neurodegeneration occurs.”
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-- July 24, 2026