Targeting the brain’s immune cells may help prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease

Targeting the brain's immune cells may help prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease
Single cell RNA-seq analysis of microglial response in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment with experimental drug MK2206 depleted a subcluster of disease-associated microglia (pink) and protected against synaptic loss (not pictured). Each dot depicts one microglial cell. Different colors depict different microglial states. Credit: Dr. Li Gan.

A gene mutation linked to Alzheimer’s disease alters a signaling pathway in certain immune cells of individuals with the disease, according to a new study by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. The team also found that blocking the pathway—with a drug that’s currently being tested in cancer clinical trials—protects against many features of the condition in a preclinical model. The results could lead to new strategies to block the…

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