InMed’s Senior VP, Preclinical Research and Development, Dr. Eric Hsu, is a guest columnist for Drug Discovery Online. In this article, Dr. Hsu writes about Alzheimer’s disease pathology, new anti amyloid-beta treatments, a need for a multifactorial approach to this complex disease, and how cannabinoids and their interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system may present a new therapeutic pathway to treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Excerpt from article in Drug Discovery Online:
As research deepens our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, it becomes increasingly evident that a multifactorial approach is essential to address its intricate and diverse nature.
While major strides have been made recently in the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, few treatments are taking a multi-targeted approach in addressing the other aspects of the disease, such as neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, or the restoration of the affected neurons — factors that may help to restore brain function loss or reverse the damage caused by Alzheimer’s.
Microglial cells play a pivotal role in neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease progression. Microglia cells contribute to the phagocytosis of amyloid-betas, resulting in the removal and clearance of amyloid plaques. This process also can lead to the overactivation of microglia, the release of inflammation-causing agents, and the development of chronic neuroinflammation. Once this inflammation process is initiated, it also can impact microglias’ ability to clear amyloid plaques, which leads to additional accumulation of the plaque and further neurodegeneration. Therefore, understanding the neuroinflammatory process associated with disease progression and effectively controlling this process are critical in Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
Original article published in Drug Discovery Online published on May 18th. Read full article here.
