A new study conducted by a team at Northwestern University suggests that the brain’s immune cells can be enhanced so that they remove amyloid beta plaques more effectively. Amyloid beta plaques are the toxic proteins that form sticky clumps leading to the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
This new discovery could trigger a revolution in the thinking behind current AD treatments and future varieties may benefit from the insights obtained from this study. Efforts have been undertaken to develop AD vaccines, but patients have serious immune responses to these drugs which can cause potentially life-threatening inflammation in the brain. Additionally, the vaccines are prohibitively priced and yet the benefits are modest at best.
David Gate, the corresponding author of this new research, revealed that while existing drugs have an improved efficacy, they can’t be described as a cure for the disease. He adds that their findings can offer mechanisms through which the effectiveness of current drugs can be improved.
The researchers leveraged a new technique referred to as spatial transcriptomics. This technique allows scientists to pinpoint the exact location of gene activity within tissue samples. They used this technique to study brain samples from patients who had died and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
An analysis of the brains of patients who had been immunized against amyloid beta proteins in comparison to those who didn’t get these vaccines revealed that for AD patients who responded well to the vaccine, immune cells not only cleared out the sticky plaques but also enabled the environment within the brain to become healthier.
They noted that microglia (immune cells inside the brain) aren’t created equal; some depicted greater efficacy in plaque removal while other microglia struggled at this role.
Gates explained that a major question within the AD research community was whether microglia tweaked to remove sticky protein clumps from the brain would forever remain primed for just that work. This study revealed that once the plaques were removed, the immune cells reverted to their default settings and carried on with their traditional roles, such as aiding the healing process of the brain.
The scientific community believes that a kind of domino effect is triggered when amyloid beta plaque develops, then sets off the process of tau protein accumulation, which in turn triggers the brain function deterioration characteristic of patients having Alzheimer’s. The race is therefore to stop amyloid beta plaque accumulation before it allows tau pathology to set in. The study’s findings are the first to suggest that this domino effect can be halted before it gets to a point where treating the disease turns into an uphill undertaking.
This study offers firms like Annovis Bio Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) plenty to consider in their bid to develop effective treatments against Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Annovis Bio Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ANVS
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