MIT researchers discovered that the APOE4 gene variant linked to Alzheimer's disease dysregulates cholesterol metabolism in astrocytes and impairs microglia's ability to remove amyloid proteins and foreign matter in the brain. The study is the first to reveal the functional connection of how APOE4 increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's, as previous research only showed a statistical correlation. The researchers were able to reverse the negative effects of APOE4 by using gene editing to convert it to the APOE3 variant in brain cells.

1. MIT Researchers
Discover Functional
Link between APOE4
and Alzheimer's

2. A professor of
entrepreneurship,
Jean-Jacques Degroof is also
a venture investor and
mentor to many young
entrepreneurs.

3. A former Sloan Fellow of the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) Sloan School of
Management, Jean-Jacques
Degroof supports MIT’s Aging
Brain Initiative.

4. In May 2018, brain researchers at MIT
uncovered the roles of the APOE4
gene variant linked to Alzheimer’s.
While it is known that people with
this gene variant have a higher
likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s,
the reason for this was previously
unknown. MIT neuroscientists sought
to reveal the functional connection.

5. Researchers studied the APOE gene together
with its three variants, 2, 3, and 4. APOE
enables cells to take in lipids, and, in the
brain, the genes help neurons absorb lipids
secreted by astrocyte cells. Humans have
either APOE2, APOE3, or APOE4 genes, but
a higher percentage of people with late-onset
Alzheimer’s have APOE4.

6. In their research, scientists genetically
edited the APOE genes in stem cells
and monitored the effects on neurons,
astrocytes, and microglia. They found
that APOE4 dramatically
dysregulated cholesterol metabolism
in astrocytes and impaired the ability
of microglia to remove amyloid
proteins and other foreign matter. The
scientists also found that these effects
could be reversed using gene editing
to convert APOE4 in brain cells to
APOE3.