A spatial transcriptomic approach to interrogate vascular-associated microglia in AD
Violeta Duran Laforet | Schafer Research Group | Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship Award
Vascular dysfunction and cerebral blood flow (CBF) reduction have been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Interestingly, a subset of microglia, are known to reside in a vascular niche. Microglia have now been implicated in regulating blood flow and vasodilation and, in AD, microglial depletion produces a change in Aβ deposits in blood vessels. It is unclear whether these effects are solely attributed to juxtavascular microglia (JVM) and whether JVM represent a unique population of microglia that are preferentially susceptible to the aging and neurodegenerative process in AD. Thus, I will test if the crosstalk between the microglia and the vasculature is altered by aging and if this alteration is restricted to areas more vulnerable to neurodegeneration. To do so, I will implement an innovative approach called MERFISH to look at 100’s of genes directly in tissue. Ultimately, this study could result in identifying new therapeutic targets.
