How broken cell 'self-cleaning' leads to inflammation and plaques in Alzheimer's
Inflammation and plaque formation downstream of disrupted autophagy in Alzheimer's disease
This research looks at whether problems in cells' cleanup systems cause inflammation and plaque buildup in people with Alzheimer's disease or who carry common genetic risk variants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Thomas Jefferson University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238972 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use lab-grown human nerve cells and brain immune cells made from stem cells to model how disrupted autophagy (the cell's cleanup process) affects Alzheimer-related changes. They will model common genetic risk variants such as APOE-ε4 to see how those changes disturb mitochondrial DNA clearance and handling of amyloid precursor protein. The team will examine how these problems trigger inflammation, synapse loss, and the build-up of plaque-like material in simplified neuron–microglia systems. Findings from these experiments are meant to point to processes that could be targeted by future therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, or those known to carry high-risk genes such as APOE-ε4 are most relevant to the questions this project addresses.
Not a fit: Patients with non-Alzheimer's dementias or those seeking immediate treatment benefit should be aware this is lab-based basic research and is unlikely to provide direct clinical benefit now.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new molecular targets to reduce inflammation and plaque buildup and guide development of treatments that slow Alzheimer's progression.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research links autophagy and APOE-ε4 to Alzheimer's but therapies directly targeting autophagy have not yet succeeded, so this project builds on known findings using new human cell models.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Thomas Jefferson University — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goldsmith, Juliet — Thomas Jefferson University
- Study coordinator: Goldsmith, Juliet
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.