Astrocytes: a potential target to reduce cell-to-cell spreading and chronic inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

Decades of research have focused on neuronal abnormalities during Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression, while glial cells, including astrocytes, have been given much less attention.

The overall aim of this project is to clarify the involvement of astrocytes in AD and to investigate their therapeutic potential.

Our previous results demonstrate that astrocytes can serve as an intermediator, promoting cell-to-cell propagation of pathological Aβ and tau. Interestingly, we recently discovered a completely new form of cellular structures – that we have named zombosomes.

Our preliminary results demonstrate that zombosomes can carry pathogenic protein aggregates, indicating that they can spread AD pathology.

Moreover, we have shown that Aβ accumulation in astrocytes induce severe cellular stress and lipid droplet accumulation. Novel reports indicate that lipid droplets can play an important role in inflammatory processes.

However, the involvement of lipid droplets in chronic inflammation and T cell activation in the AD brain remains unclear.

To explore the impact of zombosomes on AD propagation and uncover the link between astrocytic lipid droplets and T cell activation, we will perform advanced cell culture experiments and analyze human brain tissue from AD patients.

Being the most numerous glial cell type in the brain, astrocytes constitute a compelling treatment target and our results will contribute important data to the research field.