Image source: Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC-UMH
News • OLE-induced microglia rewiring
Molecule “reprograms” the brain’s defenses against Alzheimer’s disease
A team led by researcher José Vicente Sánchez Mut at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), together with researcher Johannes Gräff at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has identified an experimental molecule capable of “reprogramming” the brain’s immune cells to restore part of their protective function against Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, published in the journal Cell Death and Disease, shows that the compound, called OLE, helps microglia enclose and contain beta-amyloid plaques, reducing their size and toxicity. In animal models, the treatment also improved cognitive performance in memory tests.
In Alzheimer’s disease, [microglia] become progressively impaired. Our results suggest that this process can be reversed, pointing to new therapeutic and research avenues to counteract the disease
Sánchez Mut
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized, among other factors, by the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques and by the progressive deterioration of microglia, the immune cells responsible for clearing these toxic deposits from the brain. As the disease progresses, these cells lose part of their protective capacity and contribute to neuronal damage. In this study, the researchers found that OLE, a molecule derived from the PM20D1 gene, helps restore microglia to a more protective state: the cells move toward the plaques and enclose them, forming a kind of barrier around the deposits that limits their interaction with neurons and reduces their toxic impact on brain tissue.
“One of the most significant findings is that we have identified a molecule capable of restoring microglia’s protective function,” explains Sánchez Mut. “In Alzheimer’s disease, these cells become progressively impaired. Our results suggest that this process can be reversed, pointing to new therapeutic and research avenues to counteract the disease”, adds the researcher, who leads the Functional Epi-Genomics of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease laboratory at the IN CSIC-UMH.
To study the effects of OLE, the team combined different experimental models. First, they used genetically modified worms (C. elegans) engineered to produce beta-amyloid, allowing researchers to assess its toxicity rapidly. In this model, treatment with OLE reduced the accumulation of protein aggregates and improved the worms’ mobility, suggesting a protective effect against disease-associated damage.
The team then administered the compound for three months to mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease to analyze its effects on the brain and memory. Following treatment, the animals showed improved performance in memory tests and a reduction in the beta-amyloid plaques associated with the disease.
Recommended article
Article • Focus topic
Alzheimer's disease: Demystifying dementia
Alzheimer's disease is probably the best-known form of neurodegenerative disease, which is usually characterised by a progressive loss of cognitive, emotional and social abilities. But what actually happens in the brain? Read more about current research and therapeutic approaches to this form of dementia.
To understand how OLE acts in the brain, the team analyzed the activity of thousands of individual cells. The results showed that microglia were the cell type most affected by the treatment. After administration of the compound, these cells activated mechanisms involved in beta-amyloid clearance and regained their ability to move toward and enclose the plaques. “Single-cell analysis allowed us to determine that microglia were the cells that responded most strongly to the treatment”, says Victoria Pozzi, first author of the study. “From there, we observed that the compound helped these cells move toward beta-amyloid plaques and better contain the damage associated with the disease”, adds the researcher.
In addition, the team confirmed in cell cultures that microglia treated with OLE showed an increased ability to move toward beta-amyloid deposits and promote their clearance. Likewise, in neuronal cultures exposed to stress conditions similar to those observed in Alzheimer’s disease, the treatment increased cell survival, suggesting that it also exerts a direct protective effect on neurons.
Image source: Instituto de Neurociencias UMH CSIC
The study’s findings are protected by two European patents, one of them owned by the CSIC. According to the authors, this advance reinforces the translational potential of the research and its possible future development in the therapeutic field.
This study was made possible thanks to funding from the Dementia Research Switzerland – Synapsis Foundation (Switzerland), the Pasqual Maragall Researchers Programme (PMRP) of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence programme of the State Research Agency (AEI), the Prometeo programme of the Generalitat Valenciana, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform PTI+ NEURO-AGING. It also received support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the European Research Council (ERC), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), and the European Social Fund (ESF+).
Source: Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche
22.06.2026
