Key Findings:
- Targeting Early Events in Alzheimer’s: Unlike traditional approaches that focus on the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as plaques and tangles, T-Neuro Pharma’s research identifies and targets earlier events in the disease’s progression.
- Groundbreaking Discovery: The research team has identified a critical event that likely occurs before the formation of plaques and tangles, representing a significant advancement in understanding the disease’s early mechanisms.
- Role of T Cells in Alzheimer’s: The study reveals that a specific population of Tcells enters the brain and targets neurons, initiating a cascade of events that lead to the hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline.
- Early Detection in Humans: These T cells not only accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, but can also be detected disappearing from blood, enabling the identification of patients early in the disease progression and offering the potential for timely intervention.
- Future Therapeutic Implications: The findings not only pave the way for early diagnosis, but also open up new avenues for therapeutic development by targeting these T cells, potentially altering the course of the disease and improving patient outcomes.
“This study is the closest we’ve come to identifying a singular factor acting before amyloid and tau — the proteins responsible for brain plaques and tangles — in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease,” says Christopher Wheeler, Ph.D., lead author of the study and CSO of T-Neuro Pharma. “Since this depends on a kind of immune cell that is easy to monitor and control, we can use this to devise new ways to help diagnose and possibly treat Alzheimer’s earlier. More work needs to be done to determine if the approaches inspired by our work can be applied to all patients with non-inherited forms of Alzheimer’s, but early evidence has been very encouraging.”
Kristina Trujillo, Ph.D., CEO of T-Neuro Pharma, says the findings represent a significant step forward in the early detection and intervention of Alzheimer’s, which is vital for improving the quality of life for patients and their families.
“We are excited about the potential impact of this work to ultimately improve a patient’s quality of life and offer hope for a future with more effective treatments,” Trujillo says.
About T-Neuro Pharma
T-Neuro Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops diagnostics and disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company targets the root cause of these devastating conditions, to improve the lives of patients and their families. For more information, please visit the https://tneuropharma.com or @Tneuropharma.com for media interviews.