New York: Researchers have found preclinical evidence that nasal immunotherapy can help reduce inflammation and improve cognition in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is a debilitating neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disease that is difficult to treat. Most existing therapies target the buildup of amyloid beta plaques in the brain, which requires early intervention and intravenous therapy. However in Alzheimer’s mouse models, the new nasal immunotherapy, anti-CD3, reduced inflammation and improved cognition independent of amyloid beta plaques.
Incidentally, the therapy is being tested in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients which dampens immune cell inflammation in the brain. In the study, published in the journal PNAS, mice were treated three times a week with an intranasal anti-CD3 for five months. The therapy effectively limited the activation of microglia -- immune cells responsible for inflammation in the brain.
Treated mice performed better in behavioural tests, including a water maze, demonstrating improved cognition. Researchers also identified changes in gene expression patterns in the brain and an expansion of regulatory T cells that fight disease in the periphery following treatment. All changes were independent of amyloid beta plaque levels.