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ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Immunotherapy gets cerebral

Repurposing anti-PD-1 mAbs for AD

February 4, 2016 8:00 AM UTC

Amid a growing debate about how large a role the peripheral immune system plays in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and whether its effects are harmful or helpful, a team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has weighed in with a study in Nature Medicine showing peripheral immune cells can be induced to clear plaques from the brain and suggesting anti-PD-1 mAbs could treat the disease.

The Weizmann Institute, which patented the findings, has spun out ImmunoBrain Checkpoint Ltd. to take the concept into the clinic and plans to repurpose existing drugs...