Focused ultrasound to help brain immune cells clear Alzheimer plaques
Alzheimer's Disease Therapy via the MR Image-Guided Deletion of Microglial SHIP-1 with Focused Ultrasound
This project uses MRI-guided focused ultrasound to deliver a therapy that changes microglia in people with Alzheimer's so they can clear amyloid plaques and protect neurons.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330649 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use MRI-guided focused ultrasound together with tiny microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier briefly and get therapies into the brain. The team plans to deliver treatments that remove or neutralize SHIP-1, a protein in microglia that may limit their ability to clear amyloid. They will develop and optimize a non-invasive gene delivery approach that targets microglia and then test whether this improves amyloid removal and neuron health in models relevant to Alzheimer's. Safety and the precision of targeting will be closely monitored during the work.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's who can undergo MRI and focused ultrasound procedures.
Not a fit: People without amyloid pathology, with very advanced Alzheimer's, or who cannot safely undergo MRI or have bleeding or clotting risks may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help people with Alzheimer's by improving microglial clearance of amyloid plaques and potentially slowing cognitive decline.
How similar studies have performed: MRI-guided focused ultrasound has been used safely in small human Alzheimer's studies to open the blood-brain barrier, but delivering SHIP-1-targeting gene therapies to microglia is a novel and unproven approach in people.
Where this research is happening
Charlottesville, United States
- University of Virginia — Charlottesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Price, Richard J. — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Price, Richard J.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.