associate professor haruhisa inoue leads the project at kyoto university for cell research and application. his team reprogrammed cells taken from four alzheimer's patients. they turned them into ips cells to produce brain nerve cells. the researchers identified an abnormal protein that accumulates inside the cells. this protein is called amyloid-beta. it kills nerve cells by preventing the formation of other proteins. scientists have long suspected amyloid-beta of causing alzheimer's disease. the group says ips cell technology has allowed them to discover for the first time how this protein works. >> translator: we believe it might become possible to produce ips cells from a patient and check them for abnormalities before the onset of the disease. >> inoue says the findings will help the prevention and treatment of alzheimer's. he expects them to play a role in the development of new drugs. >>> the european commission says the eurozone economy will contract for the second straight year in 2013. the commission says it expects gross domestic product to shrink 0.3% in the 17-nation eurozone