Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-17-2027

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are a devastating group of diseases and a leading cause of death worldwide. There are no therapeutics for ADRD to prevent, stop, or reverse disease progression. Thus, there is a need for the development of novel therapies. Vaccines offer the potential to generate long-lasting and specific antibody responses against their target while being cheaper and more accessible than monoclonal antibody therapies, allowing us to harness our own immune system to fight these diseases. We developed and characterized novel vaccines targeting pathological tau and the inflammasome complex, two key drivers of ADRD, in pre-clinical animal models. These vaccines can reduce ADRD brain pathology, including tau accumulation and neuroinflammation, and rescue cognitive deficits, without adverse events. These findings support future clinical investigations of these novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of ADRD in humans.

Keywords

Tau, Inflammasome, Neuroinflammation, Immunotherapy, Vaccines, Alzheimer's disease

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Biomedical Sciences

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program

First Committee Member (Chair)

Bryce Chackerian

Second Committee Member

Kiran Bhaskar

Third Committee Member

Matthew Campen

Fourth Committee Member

Janice Knoefel

Download

Available for download on Monday, May 17, 2027

Share

COinS