Targeting amyloid-β pathology by chimeric antigen receptor astrocyte (CAR-A) therapy

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Source: Science Magazine

Original: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.ads3972?af=R...

Published: 2026-03-05T08:00:00Z

The article describes a CAR-A therapy that targets amyloid-β pathology using astrocyte-equipped chimeric antigen receptors. These modified astrocytes are designed to recognize and remove amyloid plaques in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. The study, published in Science (Volume 391, Issue 6789, March 2026), demonstrates that CAR-A therapy reduces amyloid burden in the brain tissue of mice. The main finding is a significant reduction in plaques after hippocampal injection compared to control groups. The therapy also improves the overall health of brain tissue by reducing the activation of microglia and astrocytes. CAR-A cells show better persistence and ability to degrade amyloid-β than previous generations. This approach represents the first use of CAR technology on astrocytes for neurodegenerative diseases.