Researchers adapt engineered cancer therapy for alzheimer's treatment

JERUSALEM, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- An international research team has reported the first use of a cancer therapy to treat Alzheimer's disease, according to a statement issued by the Weizmann Institute of Science on Monday.

CAR-T therapy, originally developed over 30 years ago, genetically engineers a patient's immune cells to recognize and attack specific targets, transforming treatment for certain blood cancers.

In their new study published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers examined whether the treatment could also be used against Alzheimer's, marked by the buildup of amyloid-beta protein plaques in the brain, along with chronic inflammation.

In the experiment, the researchers applied this same CAR-T method: they extracted T cells from mice, engineered them to recognize amyloid proteins, and injected the modified cells into mice with Alzheimer's-like pathology.

After treatment, the mice showed a significant reduction in amyloid plaques and lower levels of brain inflammation. The researchers said the findings represent an important first step toward developing new immune-based treatments for Alzheimer's.

They added that the same approach could potentially be adapted to treat other neurodegenerative conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, and may one day help repair brain damage caused by injury or stroke. Enditem