Pre-Clinical Testing of CDK4/6 Inhibitors as a Therapeutic Strategy in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Alzheimer’s Disease Tauopathy Mouse Model

Dr. Sicinski, a cancer biologist with extensive experience in drug development, is exploring whether an existing class of cancer drugs, CDK4/6 inhibitors, can be repurposed for AD. In mouse models, his team reports promising preliminary findings. Treating young amyloid model mice with CDK4/6 inhibitors reduces synapse loss and improves cognitive performance.

At the end of the first year of funding, they reported strong progress and are refining their understanding of how and when CDK4/6 inhibition is most effective. They found that treatment is most beneficial when initiated around the onset of Alzheimer’s-related symptoms, with reduced effectiveness at later disease stages, suggesting a potential therapeutic window. They are currently exploring mechanistically how CDK4/6 inhibitors work.

Together, this work will determine whether an already-approved class of drugs can be repurposed to protect synapses and slow cognitive decline in AD by targeting complement-driven synapse loss.