Investigating the Association Between Clonal Hematopoiesis and Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia amongst the elderly and remains without a cure. The immune system plays an important but poorly understood role in the progression of AD. Recent human epidemiological evidence suggests that acquiring mutations in immune cells over an individual’s lifetime protects against AD. This is surprising because prior work demonstrated that the acquisition of these mutations increases the risk of other diseases like cardiovascular disease. This project aims to uncover the causal and mechanistic links between the accrual of mutations in immune cells and AD pathophysiology. We will do so by using new and innovative mouse models in which we instill mutations into the immune cells of AD mice and track the dynamics and behavior of these mutated cells in the brain. Our studies may reveal new and unexpected therapeutic opportunities.