How brain immune cells protect against Alzheimer’s
Neuroprotective signaling and transcriptional pathways in microglia associated with Alzheimer's disease
This project looks at how microglia (the brain’s immune cells) use signaling and gene-control switches to help protect people from Alzheimer’s disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237137 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a loved one are affected by Alzheimer’s, this work focuses on the microglia in your brain and how their gene regulation may keep brain cells healthy. Researchers will link human genetic risk signals to specific microglial genes and study a candidate gene called EED and its role in controlling protective programs. The team will use laboratory models and molecular tools to see how changing these gene-control pathways affects microglial functions like clearing debris and limiting inflammation. The goal is to reveal biological steps that could be targeted by future treatments to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, or those known to carry Alzheimer’s risk variants (for example certain TREM2 changes) would be most relevant to this research.
Not a fit: Those with advanced, late-stage dementia or non‑Alzheimer’s causes of cognitive decline are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this laboratory-focused work in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify new molecular targets to boost protective microglial responses and help delay or prevent Alzheimer’s onset.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies linking TREM2 and microglia support the idea that microglial pathways affect Alzheimer’s risk, but targeting epigenetic regulators like EED/PRC2 is a newer and still experimental approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goate, Alison M — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Goate, Alison M
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.