Mice with transplanted human brain cells may provide an improved way to study the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Researchers, led by EARA member the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), along with EARA member KU Leuven, both Belgium, and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), genetically engineered mice to mimic the build-up of amyloid-β protein (known as amyloid plaques) that are central to AD.
The mice also had a type of brain immune cell called microglia, derived from human stem cells, transplanted into them – microglia react to amyloid plaques as part of the immune response and are responsible for driving brain inflammation, which is a characteristic of AD.
Bart De Strooper, at VIB-KU Leuven and UK DRI, said: “The study provides new insights into the complex ways human microglia respond to AD, which could help researchers develop better treatments for the disease.”