Longevity & AgingNew Alzheimer's Drug Targets Brain Immune Cells at the Heart of Disease Progression
Researchers have identified a critical turning point in Alzheimer's disease where brain immune cells called microglia shift from protective to harmful behavior. Published in Nature Medicine, the study used advanced brain-mapping technology to show that disease progression depends not just on amyloid and tau protein buildup, but on how microglia respond to those changes. A key signaling pathway called TREM2 governs the early protective phase. Muna Therapeutics is targeting this pathway with MNA-001, an oral drug now in Phase 1 clinical testing. Notably, cognitively healthy centenarians appeared to avoid or delay this harmful microglial transition, suggesting that preserving innate brain immune protection may be a viable strategy for preventing Alzheimer's.
