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November 14, 2024
A groundbreaking study from Texas A&M University College of Medicine offers new hope for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Researchers have developed a nasal spray therapy that, in early animal models, could potentially delay the progression of Alzheimer’s by 10 to 15 years. The study, published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, explores the use of neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles to target the chronic inflammation in the brain that is central to the disease’s progression.
Alzheimer’s disease, which affects nearly 7 million Americans and remains the leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older, is characterized by the build-up of plaques and proteins that disrupt neuron function. Chronic neuroinflammation, which plays a crucial role in the disease, has long been a target for potential therapies, and this new approach offers a promising non-invasive method to reduce such inflammation.
Researchers, led by Dr. Ashok K. Shetty, a University Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, discovered that the nasal spray could decrease brain inflammation and the accumulation of plaques, which are linked to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients. By delivering the extracellular vesicles through the nasal cavity, the treatment bypasses the blood-brain barrier and directly targets the brain cells responsible for neuroinflammation.
Promising Early Results in Animal Models
In their study, Shetty and collaborator Dr. Madhu LN administered the nasal spray to animal models in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The results were promising, showing a reduction in inflammation in the brain and a significant alteration in the behavior of microglia—the immune cells that play a pivotal role in both protecting and harming neurons in Alzheimer’s.
Microglia are initially activated to clear Alzheimer’s-related plaques but, over time, their chronic activation can lead to neuronal damage. The study found that the nasal spray treatment, which delivered extracellular vesicles derived from neural stem cells, could change the gene expression of microglia, reducing harmful proinflammatory proteins while maintaining their ability to clear plaque buildup.
“This approach is effective because the cargo carried by these extracellular vesicles could reduce the neuropathological changes in the brain,” said Dr. Shetty. “By modifying the activity of microglia, we may be able to delay the onset of severe cognitive issues associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”
The Future of Alzheimer’s Treatment
Shetty has filed a patent for the intranasal application of the therapy and envisions a future where this treatment could help delay Alzheimer’s-related changes by more than a decade. “Our journey to advance the application of this therapy is just beginning,” Shetty remarked. “While we are in the early stages, we are optimistic that this research will lay the foundation for therapies that could profoundly change the course of the disease.”
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and has already spurred further research into the potential for extracellular vesicles to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders. Researchers hope that with further clinical trials and refinement, this novel nasal spray could become a critical tool in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
Reference: “Extracellular vesicles from human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells alleviate proinflammatory cascades within disease-associated microglia in Alzheimer’s disease” by Leelavathi N. Madhu, Maheedhar Kodali, Raghavendra Upadhya, et al., Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, November 5, 2024. DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12519.
