# Establishing the role of MMP9 in amyloid-immunotherapy-induced ARIA

> **NIH NIH RF1** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2022 · $1,388,218

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Anti-Ab immunotherapies such as aducanamab, donanemab, and lecanemab are either approved or awaiting
approval for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While these agents hold great promise for the future of
dementia treatment, their broad acceptance and use is hindered by significant concerns regarding safety. Almost
two decades ago, our group and others first described microhemorrhages in the brains of transgenic mice
resulting from anti-Ab immunotherapy. Since then, a substantial number of anti-Ab clinical trial subjects were
also affected by vasogenic edema. Re-defined as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) of the edema-
(ARIA-E) or hemorrhagic- (ARIA-H) types, ARIA events occurred in a third of aducanamab trial participants and
remain a major concern surrounding the use of anti-Ab immunotherapy. We will test the novel hypothesis that
anti-Ab immunotherapy triggers ARIA through inflammatory sequelae involving activation of the matrix
metalloproteinase MMP9, degrading tight junction/basement membranes of vasculature inducing ARIA.
Equipped with new technologies not available to us two decades ago (i.e. 7T MRI, intravital two-photon
imaging, and single cell transcriptomics), we are poised to reveal mechanistic cause-and-effect relationships
between Aβ-immunotherapy, MMP9, and ARIA-H using novel humanized Aβ mouse models (i.e. hAβ and
hAβSAA mice). We propose using these novel mouse models to evaluate cellular, molecular, and functional
changes resulting from immunotherapy using the antibody 3D6; a murine monoclonal antibody with an epitope
like that of aducanamab. We propose three specific aims to test out hypothesis:
Specific Aim 1: Define neurovascular and neuroimmune responses to Ab immunotherapy in the humanized-Ab
mouse model.
Specific Aim 2: Determine the role of MMP9 in ARIA development resulting from Ab immunotherapy.
Specific Aim 3: Evaluate the potential of MMP9 inhibition to eliminate ARIA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10850128
- **Project number:** 7RF1NS130834-02
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Donna M Wilcock
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,388,218
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2023-06-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10850128

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10850128, Establishing the role of MMP9 in amyloid-immunotherapy-induced ARIA (7RF1NS130834-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10850128. Licensed CC0.

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