Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a common central event in the progression of many neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies have demonstrated leakage of blood proteins into the brain as apical drivers that transform the neurovascular environment into a proinflammatory niche promoting neurodegeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying BBB dysfunction and the direct impact of blood proteins on the vasculature remain unclear, and effective therapeutic strategies are lacking. This project will investigate how blood proteins drive BBB dysfunction, ultimately uncovering novel mechanisms regulating BBB integrity to pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to combat neurodegenerative diseases.
