Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE (May 6, 2020)—Engineers and scientists led by Tufts University used a three-dimensional (3D) human tissue culture model mimicking the components and conditions in the brain to demonstrate a possible causal relationship between sporadic Alzheimer’s disease and herpes simplex virus I infection (HSV-1). Reported today in Science Advances, the model will allow for further studies into the causes and possible treatments of this devastating neurodegenerative condition.
After infecting neurons in the bioengineered brain model with HSV-1, the researchers observed formation of amyloid plaques, neuronal loss, neuroinflammation and diminished neural network functionality, all typical features of Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment of the brain tissue models with the antiviral drug valacyclovir resulted in reduced plaque formation and other markers of…
