Ionis, Rockefeller team find peripheral blood target for Alzheimer's
Ionis Pharmaceutics Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) and The Rockefeller University found blood plasmin drives Alzheimer's disease progression and immune responses in the brain, shedding light on neuroinflammation's role in AD. The team suggested antisense oligonucleotide depletion of plasmin's precusor, plasminogen, in peripheral blood can protect against AD development.
Growing evidence suggests immune activation in the brain drives AD development. Chronic immune activation can generate pro-inflammatory cytokines, transforming typically neuroprotective immune responses into toxic ones and killing neurons, increasing the risk of developing AD. Alzheimer’s patients commonly experience brain inflammation, which may occur before they even develop the disease's other hallmark: β amyloid plaques...