One drug to cure them all

Abstract

A protein called NLRP3 has been linked to a suspiciously long list of conditions, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. It’s part of a large protein complex called the inflammasome that, when activated, triggers a chain of events that causes cells to erupt and spill an inflammation-inducing soup. Biotech start-ups and pharma companies are now eagerly developing NLRP3 inhibitors that they think could address a wide swath of common diseases. But drug hunters face a daunting task: many features of the inflammasome, including its exact structure, remain a mystery. There are some things we are better off without. Our lungs would be happier if never exposed to cigarette smoke. Our livers would be healthier if never stuffed with fat. Our arteries would be content without being clogged with cholesterol. And, some scientists argue, our brains would stay sharper without the amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles that