L-serine

L-serine, a naturally occurring amino acid, and Alzheimer’s disease

Today, a press release issued by researchers at the University of California, San Diego argued that L-serine could be dangerous for consumption.

In a letter to Cell Metabolism the researchers contested previous findings by scientists in France who found that L-serine was effective at reducing cognitive deficits in mice that exhibit aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.

L-serine is a naturally occurring amino acid synthesized by the body and is abundant in food.

While not disputing the cognitive benefits of L-serine, the San Diego team cautioned against
L-serine consumption because they found an increase of the enzyme PHGDH in mice with Alzheimer’s mutations as well as in the hippocampus of human Alzheimer’s patients.

PHGDH is the first step in a three-step enzymatic process within the brain that synthesizes
L-serine.

The San Diego researchers speculated that if PHGDH is increased, L-serine levels might also be increased. However, these researchers did not measure L-serine in the brain, nor did they perform any clinical studies. 

The Brain Chemistry Labs has been studying L-serine as a possible treatment for ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.

In FDA-approved clinical trials, no serious adverse effects have been found in patients taking
L-serine up to 30 grams per day. Furthermore, residents of Ogimi village in Okinawa, many of whom are over 100 years old, have not noted negative effects from their diet which is extremely rich in L-serine. Extensive studies of L-serine in laboratory animals have also failed to find any adverse effects of high-dose L-serine.

 The Brain Chemistry Labs does not encourage individuals outside of the clinical trials we are sponsoring to take L-serine until the FDA approves L-serine for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Additional information: 

P.A. Cox, et al. 2016. Dietary exposure to an environmental toxin triggers neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid deposits in the brain. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.2397

 P.A. Cox, J.S. Metcalf. 2017. Traditional food items in Ogimi, Okinawa: L-serine content and the potential for neuroprotection. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-017-0191-0

 J. Metcalf, et al. 2018. L-serine: a naturally-occurring amino acid with therapeutic potential. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9814-x

 J. Le Douce, et al. 2020. Impairment of glycolysis-derived L-serine production in astrocytes contributes to cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.02.004

 X. Chen et al. 2022. PHGDH expression increases with progression of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and symptoms. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.02.008

Can We Transform the Diagnosis & Treatment of ALS?

In 1874, Jean-Martin Charcot described a devastating paralytic illness which we now call ALS.

ALS cuts down people in the prime of their lives.

Only two FDA-approved drugs exist for the treatment of ALS, and neither significantly slow disease progression.

We have focused on the early diagnosis and treatment of ALS.

We discovered a molecular fingerprint of ALS, which will allow neurologists to definitively diagnose ALS based on a single blood draw. We extract microRNA from exosomes—microscopic packages of genetic material—in the blood sample. The unique assemblage of microRNA identifies ALS patients.

Currently, many patients have to wait a year or more to receive an ALS diagnosis. This new diagnostic test will allow patients to begin treatment much earlier.

Our advanced clinical trials of the naturally occurring amino acid L-serine are promising.

Hopefully, this combination of a diagnostic and a treatment package will be attractive to a pharmaceutical partner who can conduct the larger clinical trials that will be needed.

Dr. Sandra Banack prepares an ELISA plate to measure exosomes.





Protein Misfolds Spread Like Prions in Alzheimer’s

The addition of L-serine to the diet of mice restored their memory

We believe protein misfolding to be the ultimate cause of Alzheimer’s, ALS, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

We discovered that environmental toxins such as BMAA can trigger protein misfolding.

How do protein misfolds spread from neuron to neuron? L-serine is produced within astrocytes, which help neurons.

Recently, a French team found that mice which cannot produce L-serine in astrocytes have memory problems. The addition of L-serine to their diet restored their memory.

Deficiencies in L-serine production within astrocytes may allow protein misfolds to propagate within the brain.