This $810,596 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), under the Aging Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.866), is supporting the development of a novel "off-the-shelf" chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) macrophage therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The principal awardee, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, aims to genetically engineer human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to rapidly differentiate into macrophages/microglia expressing CARs targeting amyloid-beta, a key pathological protein in AD. The research focuses on optimizing the transdifferentiation process, engineering resilient CAR-expressing macrophages, and testing their ability to clear amyloid-beta plaques in preclinical AD mouse models. The project seeks to address limitations of current anti-amyloid immunotherapies by creating an "off-the-shelf" cell-based therapy that can be more readily mass-produced and administered compared to recurring antibody infusions. The award commenced on February 1, 2025 and is scheduled for completion on January 31, 2027.
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