Immunotherapy for mild cognitive impairment patients: a role for omega-3 fatty acids in improving innate immunity against amyloid-beta

21 Mar 2017

Written by Milan Fiala and Matteo Pellegrini, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles (CA, USA)

Inflammation, immunology and immune disorders Neurodegeneration and degenerative disease Opinion

Despite over 200 clinical trials, as of yet no drug for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been approved, but the search continues for a successful candidate, in particular for the early stage of AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Recent trials of amyloid-beta (Aβ) antibodies have failed in the search for a blockbuster medication. The antibody approach to enhancing microglial phagocytosis of Aβ (1–42) was developed in mutant amyloid-precursor protein transgenic mouse models. These models were not constructed with the human immune system and therefore did not reproduce the innate immune defects of AD patients. The studies in animal models have produced...