Acetaminophen Derivative Tempers Microglia, Spurs Plaque Clearance
DAPPD suppressed neuroinflammation and preserved cognition in mouse models of amyloidosis, suggesting potential for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
NEWS
Older Retired Soccer Players Prone to Neurodegeneration
While former professional soccer players have less risk for heart disease and cancer than the general population, they are five times more likely to die with a neurodegenerative disease in old age.
China Approves Seaweed Sugar as First New Alzheimer’s Drug in 17 Years
GV-971, an oligosaccharide derived from marine kelp, was approved to treat AD in China. Preclinical studies suggest the drug soothes neuroinflammation by balancing the gut microbiome.
Can an ApoE Mutation Halt Alzheimer’s Disease?
The rare ApoE3 Christchurch variant prevented tau tangles, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline in a woman’s brain for decades, despite massive amyloid buildup from a familial presenilin AD mutation.
Deep Sleep Makes Waves for CSF
Slow-wave sleep brings on coordinated oscillations in blood flow, which in turn are coupled to waves of cerebrospinal fluid. The data point to a mechanism linking deep sleep to the flow of CSF.
ApoE4 and Tau in Alzheimer’s: Worse Than We Thought? Especially in Women
Imaging studies suggest that ApoE4 carriers may be more susceptible to the effects of tangles, particularly if they are women.
Right Turn: Aβ Fibril Structure from Alzheimer’s Brain Reveals Surprising Twist
The first ever cryo-EM structures of Aβ fibrils extracted from AD tissue look quite different than prior structures of fibrils generated in vitro. For starters, they are right-hand twisted, not left-hand.
Human Microglia Eat Synapses, More So in Alzheimer’s
Evidence from postmortem human brains and cultured human microglia suggests the immune cells make a meal out of synapses, especially near plaques.
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Alzforum encourages users to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall, where companies showcase their newest initiatives, products, and services. We welcome F. Hoffmann-La Roche, joining our other exhibitors — Biogen, BioLegend, Dash Genomics, Inc., Abcam, BrainXell, and the Jackson Laboratory.
SPOTLIGHT
Can Kelp Help Treat AD? Chinese Regulators Think So
A Shanghai company stunned the field last weekend with news that China’s National Medical Product Administration approved its seaweed-derived drug, GV-971, for treatment of AD. Full data from the Phase 3 trial that clinched the approval have yet to be published, but researchers found plenty to dissect within a single plot of cognitive trajectories released by the company. The placebo group improved over 24 weeks before a precipitous decline at 36 weeks that accounted for the drug effect. GV-971 purportedly targets the brain via the gut microbiome, a contention that was also met with skepticism by some in the field.
Can an ApoE Mutation Halt Alzheimer’s Disease?
In her 70s now, a Colombian woman carrying the fatal Paisa mutation in presenilin 1 remains healthy and active, with only some short-term memory problems. She has a head full of amyloid, yet few tau tangles. What’s going on? Researchers believe having inherited two alleles of the rare Christchurch ApoE mutation protected her. This mutation abolishes ApoE binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which have been reported to mediate tau propagation. The findings may help generate new therapeutic strategies.
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