Boosting Macrophages

Medical News Today reports on hints of a new way to tackle age-related conditions caused by a build-up of cellular waste in the body. "Using blood samples, investigators found that in healthy people, cells belonging to the innate immune system called macrophages, cleared amyloid-beta in a test tube test developed at UCLA. However, the macrophages of some Alzheimer's patients could not adequately perform this cleaning job. ... this immune defect may also be present in other diseases where a build-up of waste and plaques occur, such as in cardiovascular disease and Gaucher's disease. ... If further study shows that this defective macrophage function is present in most Alzheimer's disease patients, new hormonal or immune-boosting approaches may offer new approaches to treating the disease."

Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=25934

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