Can a man-made enzyme trapped in gold particles become a new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease?

Lead Investigator: Dr Hui-Rong Jiang

Institution: University of Strathclyde

Grant type: Alzheimer’s Society PhD Studentship

Start date: October 2022

Duration: 36 months

Amount: £84,760.00

Project summary

With limited treatment options available for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers must focus on understanding the mechanisms of the disease and developing new treatments. Dr Jiang’s research is going to determine whether an artificial form of an enzyme, called lysozyme, can help the brain’s immune system to clear away toxic amyloid protein build-ups in Alzheimer’s disease. This research will test new technology, to verify whether it could be used as a potential future treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. 

Project background

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia, and currently there are very limited  effective treatments available, most of which only mask the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, research needs to focus on understanding the mechanisms of the disease and developing new treatments.

Researchers now understand that there might be a series of events that take place in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease that might lead to the brain cells dying and dementia symptoms. During the early stages of the disease, the amyloid protein can build-up as plaques in the brain. Brain immune cells, called microglia, are located nearby amyloid plaques and become activated in the attempt to clear away these plaques. 

At the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, microglia try to clear away the abnormal amyloid build-up from the brain, however as disease progresses there are more amyloid plaques in the brain. Microglia change their usual functions becoming overactive and attracting more immune cells from outside the brain, which causes brain inflammation. 

Lysozyme is an important enzyme, which is a part of our immune system. Recent research shows that lysozyme can prevent the abnormal build-up of amyloid and could have a protective role. 

This research aims to use man-made lysozyme as a potential new therapy for preventing the build-up of amyloid and brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

What does this project involve?

The researchers previously assessed a technology that traps the artificial lysozyme within very small gold particles, and these ‘encapsulated lysozymes’ can sense amyloid protein as they begin to clump together. The researchers also showed that these ‘encapsulated lysozymes’ can prevent the amyloid protein from clumping together, forming plaques. However, this research was previously carried out in cells grown in a lab and outside the body.

To make sure that these ‘encapsulated lysozymes’ are a potential safe and effective treatment targeting amyloid build-ups, Dr Jiang will carry out research in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. This will allow researchers to get a full picture of how the ‘encapsulated lysozymes’ work in a complex living system and will let the researchers know whether this treatment has beneficial effects on learning and memory. 

How will this project help people with dementia?

The findings from this study will provide new knowledge into how amyloid protein builds up in the brain. Through testing the new technology of ‘encapsulated lysozymes’, the researchers will find out whether this could be a new and promising therapeutic target for treating Alzheimer’s disease in the future.

With limited treatment options currently available for Alzheimer’s disease, this research will uncover new findings that will allow researchers to find better treatments for this disease. This will ultimately help people living with dementia, by providing them with potential new treatment options in the future.