Tau-targeting pharmacological strategies in neurodegenerative disease.

Abstract

Pathological tau accumulation underlies a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases collectively known as tauopathies. Although reducing tau remains the prevailing therapeutic strategy, indiscriminate tau reduction may compromise physiological functions and has demonstrated limited clinical efficacy. Growing evidence indicates disease- and stage-specific tau heterogeneity-spanning post-translational modifications (PTMs), aggregation states, and vulnerable cell populations-highlighting the necessity for improved targeting selectivity for pathological tau species. In this review, we discuss tau-targeting therapeutic modalities, including nucleic acids to suppress tau expression, immunotherapies and chimeric degraders to facilitate tau protein clearance, inhibitors of aggregation, and emerging strategies for tau PTM-editing and cellular-level interventions for neurofibrillary tangle-bearing neurons.