Accumulation of tau protein aggregates is a characteristic lesion in the majority of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.Neurodegenerative diseases caused by abnormal accumulation of tauopathy are collectively called tauopathy, but in tauopathy-type dementia, lesions in the brain have already progressed by the time of onset, so it is necessary to develop preventive methods. It is believed that.
One of the most effective methods to prevent the onset is said to be a vaccine, which is an immunotherapy that strengthens the body's resistance.Therefore, the group of Kyoto University iPS Cell Research Institute and National Institute of Radiological Science and Technology has been working on the development of a vaccine targeting tauprotein, which is a key molecule of dementia that presents with tauopathy, and is unique in the world. We have succeeded in producing a nasal drop vaccine that does not need to be seen or injected and is expected to last to some extent with a single dose.
For the development of this vaccine, a gene therapy Sendai virus vector (gene "carrier") designed to secrete mutant tau protein known to cause dementia extracellularly was used. That is.Examination of the effect of the nasal vaccine in tauopathy model mice showed an increase in anti-tau antibody titer in the brain, a decrease in tau protein accumulation, and an improvement in glial inflammation.In addition, brain MRI and molecular imaging showed improvement in cerebral atrophy and cerebral inflammatory response, and also showed improvement in cognitive dysfunction in behavioral tests.
This study revealed that a nasal vaccine against tau is effective in suppressing the pathology of tauopathy model mice.This result is expected to contribute to the development of a vaccine to control dementia such as Alzheimer's disease.
Paper information:[NPJ Vaccines] Nasal vaccine delivery prompts brain pathology and cognitive impairment in tauopathy model mice
