Mouse work on how 'jumping genes' and inflammation affect Alzheimer's
Core C: Mouse Intervention and Neuropathy Core
Researchers are testing whether blocking 'jumping genes' (LINE-1) and calming a specific immune pathway can reduce Alzheimer’s-related damage in mice, aiming to help people with Alzheimer’s in the future.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11242053 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This core provides and maintains the special mouse models used across the program to study how LINE-1 'jumping genes' trigger inflammation linked to aging and Alzheimer’s changes. Scientists will give some mice an existing class of drugs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, NRTIs) and create a CRISPR-made 'bat-STING' mouse that has lower inflammatory signaling to see if that lowers Alzheimer’s brain pathology and symptoms. They will run lifespan and behavioral assays, treat mice with drugs, and carefully examine brain and immune changes. Core C also manages animal care protocols, breeds and distributes mouse lines and specimens to the other projects in the program.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with Alzheimer’s disease or those at high risk for Alzheimer’s (for example early cognitive impairment or familial AD) would be the likely candidates for future human trials based on these findings.
Not a fit: Patients without inflammation-linked Alzheimer’s mechanisms or those in very advanced stages of disease may be less likely to benefit from the approaches tested here.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify treatments that reduce inflammation-driven Alzheimer’s damage and point to repurposed drugs or new targets for human trials.
How similar studies have performed: Prior mouse work by this team showed LINE-1 activity can trigger inflammation and that reverse transcriptase inhibitors reduced multiple age-related pathologies in mice, but human testing of these specific approaches is still limited.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Brown University — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seluanov, Andrei — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Seluanov, Andrei
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.