Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified a promising new therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease by targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), an enzyme implicated in harmful brain inflammation. This discovery is particularly significant for the estimated 25 percent of the global population carrying the APOE4 gene variant, a major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Unlike previous broad anti-inflammatory approaches that inadvertently disrupted essential brain functions, the USC team has developed experimental compounds that selectively inhibit the pathological effects of cPLA2 while preserving its necessary role in normal cognition. The cPLA2 enzyme regulates the production of eicosanoids, inflammatory signaling molecules that can either promote neurodegeneration or support brain cell repair depending on which pathway is activated. By redirecting enzyme activity away from destructive inflammatory processes, this precision medicine strategy addresses a critical gap in Alzheimer’s therapeutics.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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