Targeting the brain's immune cells may help prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease

A gene mutation linked to Alzheimer's disease alters a signaling pathway in certain immune cells of individuals with the disease, according to a new study. The team also found that blocking the pathway -- with a drug that's currently being tested in cancer clinical trials -- protects against many features of the condition in a preclinical model. The results could lead to new strategies to block the development of Alzheimer's disease or slow its progression.