More on exosomes
SCIENTISTS: THIS CELL PART COULD BE KEY TO STOPPING THE SPREAD OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE BY
DANA DOVEY ON 6/14/18 AT 4:30 PM
TECH & SCIENCEALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Scientists believe that buildup of a brain protein called amyloid beta is the root of Alzheimer’s disease, but exactly how this disease spreads throughout the brain remains unclear. Now, new
research believes it may have found the answer, suggesting that a cell previously thought to play a role in waste removal is actually the key to the spread of Alzheimer’s in the brain.
The study, published online in
Acta Neuropathologica, used brain samples from deceased patients with Alzheimer’s disease and control patients who died with a healthy brain. They looked specifically at parts of the cell called exosomes. These cell parts are small membrane-covered droplets that help to remove cell waste products, a
press release reported. However, closer examination revealed the cell part may also play an important part in Alzheimer’s disease ability to spread throughout the brain.
For their research, the team noted this cell part was physically capable of transporting amyloid beta from one cell to another. To observe this, researchers took cells from Alzheimer's disease patients and watched as they absorbed exosomes and then passed amyloid beta to new cells.