As a top-rated elder care lawyer serving Chester County, PA, I like to stay on top of new developments, new, and other related information related to senior care. And new research is currently showing that, while they were investigating brain tumors in children, scientists at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital might have discovered a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It’s based on a pathway, called LANDO, that prevents the buildup of protein that causes Alzheimer’s.
Groundbreaking Findings
These findings offer a novel approach to the chronic neurodegenerative disorder that afflicts many seniors in our country. In fact, Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in America. This newly developed pathway helps to regulate inflammation, which can, in turn, aid in the immune response to malignant brain tumors. The accumulation of β-amyloid protein disrupts normal brain functioning and is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, which also involves chronic inflammation.
Found in the primary cells in the brain’s immune system called microglial cells, the LANDO pathway may prevent inflammation by suppressing inflammatory responses of these cells in response to stimuli such as β-amyloid. Microglial cells help safeguard the brain from bacteria, viruses, malignancies, cancer, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
A Far-Reaching Impact
Research in mice has shown that without LANDO, inflammation and the production of molecules that cause it, including β-amyloid, rapidly accumulated in the brains of mice. Not only did these mice show signs of neurodegeneration, by exhibited memory problems as well. These findings assert that the LANDO pathway can help prevent degeneration and inflammation of the nerves.
This research and its findings have far-reaching implications, especially if the pathway can be enhanced or accelerated. This could not only help with treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, but other conditions as well, like Parkinson’s, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and others. The researchers identified several proteins that control LANDO functioning but are known to decrease naturally as we age and decline even more in Alzheimer’s patients.
In the future, this research could even lead to combating cancer in other parts of the body. LANDO appears to protect against neurodegenerative disease inhibiting the pathway might boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. Preliminary data using a primary brain tumor model suggests that inhibition of LANDO might provide a mechanism to activate inflammation within the tumor microenvironment to generate an anti-tumor response.
For more information on LANDO, or to get in touch with Montgomery County’s trusted elder law attorney, contact Slutsky Elder Law today.