Alzheimer’s: Scientists find way to switch some diseased cells back to a healthy state.

• Evidence suggests that microglia—the primary immune cells in the brain—may directly contribute to the development of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

• Due to technical challenges, scientists have not been able to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying microglia activity or function in healthy and diseased brains.

• Scientists have now developed a new method based on the gene-editing tool CRISPR to identify genes that modulate the function of microglia.

• By identifying the genes involved in disease-driving states of microglial activity, scientists were able to switch the genes on and off, paving the path for developing new therapies for AD.

In a recent study published inNature NeuroscienceTrusted Source, scientists revealed a novel screening platform for characterizing genes that regulate specific microglialTrusted Source functions which may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Characterizing regulatory genes that cause microglia to switch from a healthy state to a diseased state, such as in the brains of individuals with AD and other neurodegenerative conditions, could help develop therapeutics that target these genes or the proteins encoded by these genes. - Read the entire article by - Deep Sukla MedicalNews Today