Abstract: Disclosed is a method of inducing or modeling a disease associated with pathological tau protein aggregation. The method can be carried out in vitro and animal models, and may be used to screen for therapeutic, prognostic or diagnostic agents.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of inducing or modelling the pathological state of an aggregating disease protein (ADP—e.g. tau protein) which is associated with a disease state in which the ADP aggregates pathologically (e.g. Alzheimer's disease) through an induced conformational polymerisation interaction, the method being characterised by the step of providing a membrane-localisable fusion protein comprising (i) an aggregating portion, which is derived from the ADP, or from a protein which initiates pathological aggregation of the ADP, (ii) a heterologous membrane-localising portion. Membrane-localisation of the ADP-based fusion protein is believed to cause the high-affinity capture site of the ADP protein to become exposed such that aggregation of further ADP, which may be native or heterologous to the system, to be promoted. The method can be carried out in vitro, or in cell- and animal-models, and may be used to screen for modulators of the aggregation process by monitoring aggregation e.g.