ApoE Immunotherapy as a Potential Treatment for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

The main goal of this project is to test whether ApoE immunotherapy can successfully remove amyloid beta from blood vessels with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and restore vessel function.

Aim 1: first, we will test the effect of different APOE alleles on blood vessel structure and function by imaging the brains of awake transgenic mice with two-photon microscopy. Aim 2: next, we will test whether anti-ApoE immunotherapy over the course of several months can successfully remove amyloid beta from the blood vessels in the brains of transgenic mice and restore vessel function.

Targeting ApoE to facilitate amyloid beta clearance and restore vessel function is a novel concept, that could have major clinical implications for patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, for which there are currently no effective treatment options. This proposal uses innovative imaging approaches to assess these properties in real-time.

The proposed experimental study will provide much needed proof-of-concept evidence whether ApoE immunotherapy could be a safe and effective treatment strategy to remove amyloid beta from the vasculature and restore vessel function. If successful, we would be eager to take the next steps towards moving this approach into clinical trials to potentially treat patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy in the future.