The present invention relates to cell models of Alzheimer's disease. Transgenic yeast cells are described as models for the tau-opathy in Alzheimer's disease. These cell models comprise recombinant DNA constructs comprising control sequences and a cDNA sequence encoding a human tau-isoform and another similar construct comprising a protein kinase that is capable, directly or indirectly, of modulating the phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. The transgenic cells are useful for high-throughput testing for potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.