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Data-driven discovery of cell-type-directed network-correcting combination therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Li, Y.; Serras, C. P.; Blumenfeld, J.; Xie, M.; Hao, Y.; Deng, E.; Chun, Y. Y.; Holtzman, J.; An, A.; Yoon, S. Y.; Tang, X.; Rao, A.; Woldemariam, S.; Tang, A.; Zhang, A.; Simms, J.; Lo, I.; Oskotsky, T.; Keiser, M. J.; Huang, Y.; Sirota, M.

2024-12-13 systems biology
10.1101/2024.12.09.627436 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by heterogeneous molecular changes across diverse cell types, posing significant challenges for treatment development. To address this, we introduced a cell-type-specific, multi-target drug discovery strategy grounded in human data and real-world evidence. This approach integrates single-cell transcriptomics, drug perturbation databases, and clinical records. Using this framework, letrozole and irinotecan were identified as a potential combination therapy, each targeting AD-related gene expression changes in neurons and glial cells, respectively. In an AD mouse model, this combination therapy significantly improved memory function and reduced AD-related pathologies compared to vehicle and single-drug treatments. Single-nuclei transcriptomic analysis confirmed that the therapy reversed disease-associated gene networks in a cell-type-specific manner. These results highlight the promise of cell-type-directed combination therapies in addressing multifactorial diseases like AD and lay the groundwork for precision medicine tailored to patient-specific transcriptomic and clinical profiles. Graphic Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=99 SRC="FIGDIR/small/627436v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (31K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1e67fd5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d2b779org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@10b6efforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a44394_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

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