Researchers create gel converting astrocytes into neurons via PTBP1 destruction
Researchers have made a gel that can actually turn certain brain cells (astrocytes) into working neurons, a big step forward for treating diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
The gel works by delivering an antibody that targets PTBP1 and causes it to be destroyed.
Once the gel is in the brain, astrocytes treated with the gel changed shape and began firing electrical signals in lab dishes and brain organoids.
Gel improved memory in Alzheimer-like mice
When tested on mice with Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms, just two doses of the gel led to better memory and behavior, plus higher neuron density, and less inflammation in their brains.
The team now wants to track exactly how these changes happen in living animals and make sure the treatment is safe before trying it out in humans.
As Peisheng Xu, a pharmaceutical scientist at the University of South Carolina and one of the authors of this new paper, put it, this could open up new possibilities for replacing lost brain cells down the line.