Targeting microglia for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease |
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| Authors: | Paul D. Wes Faten A. Sayed Frédérique Bard Li Gan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Neuroinflammation Department, Lundbeck Research USA, Paramus, New Jersey;2. Gladstone Institute for Neurodegeneration, San Francisco, California;3. Janssen Prevention Center, San Diego, California |
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| Abstract: | While histological changes in microglia have long been recognized as a pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), recent genetic association studies have also strongly implicated microglia in the etiology of the disease. Coding and noncoding polymorphisms in several genes expressed in microglia—including APOE, TREM2, CD33, GRN, and IL1RAP—alter AD risk, and therefore could be considered as entry points for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, microglia may have a substantial effect on current amyloid β (Aβ) and tau immunotherapy approaches, since they are the primary cell type in the brain to mediate Fc receptor‐facilitated antibody effector function. In this review, we discuss the considerations in selecting microglial therapeutic targets from the perspective of drug discovery feasibility, and consider the role of microglia in ongoing immunotherapy clinical strategies. GLIA 2016;64:1710–1732 |
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| Keywords: | microglia immunotherapy amyloid tau Alzheimer's disease |
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