Don’t ignore potential microbial causes of Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases, researchers say
Studies in human brain tissue, neural stem cells, and mice have linked the herpes virus that causes cold sores to Alzheimer's disease. #STATBreakthrough
SAN FRANCISCO — On a day when pharma giant Eli Lilly announced positive results from a clinical trial of an Alzheimer’s drug that clears knotty clumps of protein from the brain, researchers at STAT’s Breakthrough Summit discussed another promising though preliminary approach to treating the disease: targeting viruses and bacteria.
The conversation on Wednesday centered around decades of evidence linking herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, to Alzheimer’s. Studies in human brain tissue, neural stem cells, and mice have suggested that this common virus, best known for causing cold sores, might trigger the deadly and devastating neurological disease.
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