Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation—a finding that could lead to the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation—a finding that could lead to the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe how podocalyxin, a protein in blood vessels, plays a key role in preventing harmful blood components from leaking into the brain during inflammation in response to infection or injury.
The discovery marks the first time scientists have understood the function of podocalyxin in the blood-brain barrier—a membrane that separates the brain from blood circulating in the rest of the body and that is essential for maintaining healthy brain function. Disruption of this barrier is common in neurodegenerative diseases and contributes to disease symptoms.
“These findings are incredibly exciting,” said Jessica Cait, the study’s lead author and a graduate research student at the Biomedical Research Centre at UBC. “For the first time, we have been able to show that this protein is critical to the integrity of the blood-brain barrier.”
Read more at University of British Columbia
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