In work published today in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the researchers revealed that midkine prevents amyloid beta from sticking together, and, consequently, Alzheimer’s disease models lacking midkine show more amyloid beta accumulation. The findings lay the groundwork to better understand the disease-preventing mechanism of midkine and subsequent drug discovery pathways.

Midkine 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.