# Reversal of neurodegeneration through pTau clearance by chimeric scavenger receptor monocytes > **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $445,500 ## Abstract PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that will continue to grow as a global health challenge as societies age worldwide, yet we entirely lack therapies capable of slowing or reversing disease progression. Hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) tangles are pathological hallmarks of AD and, unlike β- Amyloid, highly correlate with clinical cognitive deterioration. Microglia dominate the myeloid compartment within the central nervous system (CNS), but have a limited capacity to clear pTau that declines as AD progresses. Concomitant secretion of neurotoxic proinflammatory cytokines by these cells in response to pTau uptake hastens neurodegeneration and accelerates disease progression. At present, no therapies exist which can meaningfully diminish the highly toxic pTau species, oligomeric pTau (opTau), without triggering this deleterious neuroinflammation. Thus, there is an unmet need for a novel therapeutic that catalyzes opTau degradation without triggering inflammatory cytokine release from CNS myeloid cells. In tumor immunity, we have observed that the scavenger receptor, FcγRIIb, is an inhibitory receptor expressed by the myeloid stroma that internalizes via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and can act to dampen cytotoxicity against diverse tumors. We propose the novel concept that the anti-inflammatory properties of scavenger receptors can be harnessed to alter the myeloid response to opTau in AD. In contrast to microglia, peripheral monocytes retain the ability to clear pTau assemblies, but do secrete neurotoxic proinflammatory cytokines. We hypothesize that monocytes engineered to bind and internalize opTau via antibody-redirected chimeric scavenger receptors (CSR) will halt the progression of AD by protecting neurons from opTau-mediated neurotoxicity while dampening inflammatory cytokine release. We have successfully engineered a peripheral macrophage/monocyte cell line to express our designed CSR construct which consists of an FcγRIIb scaffold and an opTau single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) based on an anti-opTau antibody which limits neurodegeneration in AD mouse models. First, we will measure uptake of opTau by a monocyte/macrophage cell line expressing the FcyRIIb CSR, and determine whether internalization relies on phagocytosis or clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Next, we will investigate the efficiency of degradation of opTau by these CSR expressing cells, as well as determine whether this degradation is lysosome-dependent. To ascertain whether CSR monocytes are capable of protecting primary neurons from opTau toxicity and from their own inflammatory burst, we will co-culture primary neurons with opTau alone, with parental monocytes, or with CSR expressing monocytes and measure dendrite integrity versus fragmentation. Finally, we will perform intra-cerebroventricular infusion of CSR monocytes into Tau p301S transgenic mice starting at 6 months of age and assess their capacity to prevent or de... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10039698 - **Project number:** 1R21AG068546-01 - **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR - **Principal Investigator:** Michael A. Curran - **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2020 - **Award amount:** $445,500 - **Award type:** 1 - **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2023-08-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10039698 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10039698, Reversal of neurodegeneration through pTau clearance by chimeric scavenger receptor monocytes (1R21AG068546-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10039698. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*