Potential Alzheimer’s disease therapeutic target identified in brain immune cells

Tim-3 is an immune checkpoint molecule involved in immunity and inflammation recently linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but its role in the brain was unknown until now. In a paper published in Nature, researchers from Mass General Brigham used preclinical models to uncover Tim-3’s role in microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, and have identified it as a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy, and it is exciting that we might be able to repurpose them to treat Alzheimer’s disease,” said senior author Vijay Kuchroo, PhD, DVM, of the Gene…