Jordan J. N. Tang

Biography

B.S., Taiwan Provincial College, 1954 M.S., Oklahoma State University, 1957 Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 1961

Research Interest

Alzheimer’s disease inflicts itself upon 18 million people worldwide and may affect up to 24 million by 2025. It is a major cause of death for adults, yet no effective drug exists to slow or stop the progression of the disease. In 1999, we identified a protease called memapsin 2, or beta-secretase, a brain protease which initiates a selective proteolysis of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) leading to the production of amyloid-beta (Aβ). The accumulation of Aβ in the brain is a major factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, so memapsin 2 has emerged as a major target for the development of inhibitor drugs to treat the disease.