A team co-led by UCL researchers has reversed Alzheimer’s disease pathology in mice using nanoparticles that help the brain to clear away toxic amyloid proteins naturally.

9 October 2025

A team co-led by UCL researchers has reversed Alzheimer’s disease pathology in mice using nanoparticles that help the brain to clear away toxic amyloid proteins naturally.

Unlike traditional nanomedicine, which relies on nanoparticles as carriers for therapeutic molecules, the approach utilised nanoparticles that are bioactive in their own right, known as “supramolecular drugs”. The work has been published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.

Instead of targeting neurons directly, the therapy restores the proper function of the blood-brain barrier, the vascular gatekeeper that regulates the brain’s environment. By repairing this critical interface, the researchers achieved a reversal of Alzheimer’s pathology in animals.

The brain obtains its energy from a vast blood supply, supported by a unique and dense vascular system, where a single capillary nourishes each neuron.

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