A protective gene sent to the liver cleared amyloid from mouse brains, sparking hope for an Alzheimer’s gene therapy

Summary: Scientists have found a clever new way to treat Alzheimer's disease in mice. Normally, it is very hard to get medicines into the brain because of a strong shield called the blood-brain barrier. Instead of trying to break through that shield, researchers sent a special protective gene to the liver.

The liver uses this gene to act like a vacuum, cleaning harmful "amyloid" proteins out of the blood. Because the brain and blood share a balance, cleaning the blood pulls the bad proteins right out of the brain, too! Mice treated this way had better memories and less brain swelling. Next, scientists will test this method in larger animals before trying it in humans.

Source: Fierce Biotech URL: fiercebiotech.com/research/protective-gene-sent-liver-cleared-amyloid-mouse-brains-sparking-hope-alzheimers-gene (opens in new tab)