Researchers at Washington University found a way to remove Alzheimer's amyloid plaques using antibodies to mobilize microglia, with potential implications for other neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine discovered a novel approach to remove amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease by directly mobilizing immune cells called microglia with an antibody. This reduces amyloid plaques in the brain and mitigates behavioral abnormalities in mice with Alzheimer's-like disease. The approach has implications beyond Alzheimer's, as toxic clumps of brain proteins are features of other neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, ALS, and Huntington's disease.