Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 minutes ago
Lecture by Professor Nancy Y.Ip, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium "Frontiers of New Knowledge in Science" in Hong Kong, Nov 15-17, 2024.
ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a leading cause of mortality in the elderly. At present, there are only two very recently approved disease-modifying drugs, which target patients with early AD. However, most patients are clinically diagnosed when the disease is already at a moderate to advanced stage. Thus, we aim to understand and combat the disease using innovative approaches. Through basic research investigations, we elucidated molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathology, identified therapeutic targets, and developed potential drug leads. Through pioneering human genetic studies, we identified novel AD-associated genetic factors and biomarkers, established the first omics database for ethnic Chinese, and developed a novel diagnostic test for AD risk prediction and early diagnosis. We also leveraged the cutting edge CRISPR-Cas9 technology to develop a gene therapy treatment for familial AD. In this talk, I would like to share our recent findings in elucidating the roles of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of AD. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, play a crucial role in the clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ), a key pathological hallmark of AD. We demonstrated how stimulation of an immune protein signaling enhances the microglial clearance of Aβ, leading to decreased AD pathology and alleviated memory impairment in a transgenic mouse model of AD. We also elucidated how this immune signaling is inhibited in patients with AD. These exciting findings highlight immune modulation as a potential AD therapeutic strategy.
Lecture by Professor Nancy Y.Ip, President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium "Frontiers of New Knowledge in Science" in Hong Kong, Nov 15-17, 2024.
ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a leading cause of mortality in the elderly. At present, there are only two very recently approved disease-modifying drugs, which target patients with early AD. However, most patients are clinically diagnosed when the disease is already at a moderate to advanced stage. Thus, we aim to understand and combat the disease using innovative approaches. Through basic research investigations, we elucidated molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathology, identified therapeutic targets, and developed potential drug leads. Through pioneering human genetic studies, we identified novel AD-associated genetic factors and biomarkers, established the first omics database for ethnic Chinese, and developed a novel diagnostic test for AD risk prediction and early diagnosis. We also leveraged the cutting edge CRISPR-Cas9 technology to develop a gene therapy treatment for familial AD. In this talk, I would like to share our recent findings in elucidating the roles of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of AD. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, play a crucial role in the clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ), a key pathological hallmark of AD. We demonstrated how stimulation of an immune protein signaling enhances the microglial clearance of Aβ, leading to decreased AD pathology and alleviated memory impairment in a transgenic mouse model of AD. We also elucidated how this immune signaling is inhibited in patients with AD. These exciting findings highlight immune modulation as a potential AD therapeutic strategy.
