Journal of Extracellular Vesicles<\/a>\u00a0could reshape the future of neurodegenerative therapies and may even change how scientists think about brain aging itself.<\/p>\n\u201cAs we develop and scale this therapy, a simple, two-dose nasal spray could one day replace invasive, risky procedures or maybe even months of medication,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n
The societal impact could be just as profound. In the United States alone, new dementia cases are projected to double over the next four decades, from about 514,000 in 2020 to about 1 million in 2060.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trend signals a pressing need for policies and innovative interventions that can minimize both the risk and severity of neurodegenerative disorders like dementia,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n
The study also hints at broad applicability, working equally effectively across both genders\u2014a rare outcome in biomedical research.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s universal,\u201d Shetty says. \u201cTreatment outcomes were consistent and similar across both sexes.\u201d<\/p>\n
One day, the approach could even help stroke survivors rebuild lost brain function, or slow\u2014even reverse\u2014the effects of cognitive aging in humans.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur approach redefines what it means to grow old,\u201d Shetty says. \u201cWe\u2019re aiming for successful brain aging: keeping people engaged, alert, and connected. Not just living longer, but living smarter and healthier,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n
At the heart of this groundbreaking development are millions of microscopic biological parcels known as extracellular vesicles (EVs). They act like delivery vehicles, carrying powerful genetic cargo called microRNAs.<\/p>\n
\u201cMicroRNAs act like master regulators,\u201d Narayana says. \u201cThey help modulate and regulate many gene and signaling pathways in the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the delivery route is just as important as the cargo.<\/p>\n
Packed into a nasal spray, the tiny EVs bypass the brain\u2019s protective shield and travel directly into brain tissue, where they are absorbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mode of delivery is one of the most exciting aspects of our approach,\u201d Kodali says. \u201cIntranasal delivery allows us to reach, and treat, the brain directly without invasive procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once absorbed into the brain\u2019s resident immune cells, the microRNAs suppress systems, like NLRP3 inflammasome and the cGAS\u2013STING signaling pathways, known to drive chronic inflammation in aging brains.<\/p>\n
At a cellular level, the treatment recharged neuronal mitochondria, or the power plants that live inside the brain\u2019s cells.<\/p>\n
By recharging these cellular power plants, the therapy didn\u2019t just clear brain fog, it physically improved the brain\u2019s ability to process and store information.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are giving neurons their spark back by reducing oxidative stress and reactivating the brain\u2019s mitochondria,\u201d Narayana says.<\/p>\n
Behavioral tests confirmed the biology. Models treated with the nasal spray showed remarkable improvements in not only recognizing familiar objects but also detecting new objects and changes in their environment, a sharp contrast to the control.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing the brain\u2019s own repair systems switch on, healing inflammation and restoring itself,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n
While further research is needed, Shetty and his team have already filed a US patent for the therapy, marking a milestone in what could become a breakthrough for brain aging treatments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t just trying to understand the biological mechanisms, we are translating and developing our findings into real-world therapies that could make a difference,\u201d Shetty says.<\/p>\n
Backed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Texas A&M team pooled collaborative knowledge, expertise, and resources to turn a simple nasal spray into a therapy with the potential to reframe how scientists think about brain aging.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur partnership with the NIA is very important,\u201d Shetty says. \u201cThis kind of work requires resources and the right people to tackle problems and develop solutions that could change lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, while the brain\u2019s engine may sputter with age, scientists are now learning how to reignite it, sparking a new era of cognitive health and showing that the clock on brain aging might not just be paused, it can be turned back.<\/p>\n
Source: Texas A&M University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share this Article You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. A new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[2429,31234,18,135,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-446996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-brains","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116444568394979201","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}