Novel therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's

Synapses are central signal processing units critical for higher brain functions. In Alzheimer's disease synapse dysfunction and loss are highly correlated with cognitive decline. Here, we used a short peptide derived from the much larger precursor APPsα to rescue synapse loss and enhance synaptic plasticity in AD model mice. For peptide delivery to the brain we used both AAV mediated gene therapy as well as surface modified liposomes enabling blood-brain barrier crossing. Together, this novel approach holds therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease. This highly interdisciplinary project was driven by a close collaboration with colleagues from the Fricker and Uhl groups of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology.