Anti-acetylated-tau immunotherapy is neuroprotective in tauopathy and brain injury

In the latest study from the Gan Lab, published in Molecular Neurodegeneration, Parra Bravo, Krukowski, and Barker et al. report two newly-generated anti-acetylated-tau-K174 antibodies that effectively mitigate neurobehavioral impairments and reduce pathology in PS19 mice— alone and in conjunction with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

The collaborative study was led by Celeste Parra Bravo from the Gan laboratory, Dr. Karen Krukowski from Dr. Susanna Rosi’s group (UCSF), and Sarah Barker from Dr. Andrew Pieper’s group (University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center), with Dr. Rosi, Dr. Xu Chen (UCSD), and Dr. Li Gan as senior investigators.

Immunotherapy of mice harboring the P301S tau mutation (PS19) with anti-ac-tauK174 antibody rescued neurobehavioral impairments, and ameliorated neuropathology and neurodegeneration. Ac-tauK174 increased significantly in human plasma 24 hr after TBI, and anti-ac-tauK174 treatment of PS19 mice blocked TBI-induced neurodegeneration, preserved memory functions, and rescued alterations of microglial and oligodendrocyte transcriptomic states.

Read the full paper HERE.