A new way to fight brain damage from within

Ana Paula Pêgo

i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Neurological diseases like stroke, epilepsy, and ALS affect millions of people and often lead to long-term disability or death. A major cause of damage in these conditions is the buildup of a chemical in the brain that overstimulates nerve cells, eventually killing them. Despite years of research, no treatment has successfully protected the brain from this process. Most efforts have focused on neurons, but a different type of brain cell—astrocytes—may hold the key.

This project explores a new way to protect the brain by helping astrocytes work more effectively. These helper cells normally clear away excess chemicals, but during a stroke or similar event they can’t keep up, allowing damage to build. Researchers propose a new solution, consisting of delivering helpful instructions, using messenger RNA, directly to astrocytes. These instructions tell the cells to produce more of a protein that helps remove the harmful chemical. To do this safely and effectively, the team is developing tiny, smart particles that release their cargo only in the damaged areas of the brain.

The project also includes building a human relevant 3D model of the human brain’s environment to test the treatment, along with advanced imaging tools to track its effects. If successful, this approach could lead to new treatments not only for stroke but for other brain diseases as well.

• Francisco Campos, IDIS - Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

• Ben Maoz, TAU – Tel Aviv University, Israel

Tuning neurons by controlling brain cell metabolism using MIcroenvironment sensitive Nanosystems

€999.563,80