The question of what causes complex neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis continues to confound scientists and doctors, with the unknowns standing in the way of early diagnoses and effective treatments.
Gladstone InstitutesOct 18 2024 The question of what causes complex neurological disease s such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis continues to confound scientists and doctors, with the unknowns standing in the way of early diagnoses and effective treatments.
But there's one often-overlooked thread that connects most neurological diseases, says Katerina Akassoglou, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes: They're marked by a toxic immune reaction caused by blood that leaks into the brain through damaged blood vessels. Neutralizing the culprit Akassoglou and her lab have long investigated how blood that leaks into the brain trigger neurologic diseases, essentially by hijacking the brain's immune system and setting off a cascade of harmful often-irreversible effects that result in damaged neurons.
The scientists previously developed a drug, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody, that specifically targets fibrin's inflammatory properties without affecting its essential role in blood coagulation. This fibrin-targeting immunotherapy has shown, in mice, to protect from multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's, and to treat neurological effects of COVID-19.
Brain Anemia Blood Vessels Cell Covid-19 Cystic Fibrosis Drug Discovery Fibrosis Gene Genetic Immune System Immunotherapy Multiple Sclerosis Neurological Disease Neuroscience Research Sclerosis Therapeutics Twins Vascular
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