Alzheimer's Disease: Blocking Receptor Halts Loss of Neurons.

BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - A chemokine receptor present on the surface of microglial cells in the brain is being investigated as a new therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers working in Germany have shown for the first time that microglial cells - immune cells that "police" the brain for tissue damage - play a role in the loss of neurons that characterizes Alzheimer's disease.

Working with transgenic mice, they also showed that blocking a chemokine receptor on the microglial cells prevented the loss of the neurons.

Martin Fuhrmann, a post-doctoral fellow at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, told BioWorld International: "Neuron loss is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease …