For years, Alzheimer’s researchers have targeted amyloid beta in attempts to halt the progression of the disease, without success. Now, they have their sights set on a second brain protein: tau. And the findings are promising. In the healthy brain, tau protein helps with the building and functioning of neurons. But when tau malfunctions, it creates abnormal clumps of protein fibers—neurofibrillary tangles— called tau oligomers that spread rapidly throughout the brain. “There’s growing evidence that tau oligomers, not tau protein in general, are responsible for the development of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s,” said Julia Gerson, a UTMB graduate student in neuroscience.