New findings discussed at the latest Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) highlight the risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Amongst the risks are inflammation-related factors.
- What is new research telling us about the impact of neuroinflammation in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease?
- Can addressing neuroinflammation delay or slow cognitive decline?
- What new Alzheimer’s treatments are being developed that address neuroinflammation?
Researchers Look at Inflammation Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
Several studies presented at the AAIC 2025 conference investigated the correlation between inflammatory biomarkers and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Researchers are turning their attention to how inflammation influences cognitive decline.
One study included a review of scientific literature related to obesity, inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease over the past five years. The analysis of the studies suggests that low-grade systemic and local inflammation observed in obese individuals is associated with the earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease and can be attributed to the release of pro-inflammatory markers and hormones. The analysis also suggests that insulin resistance associated with obesity leads to amyloid deposits and plaque build-up in the brain, impacting brain cell function.
Another study explored the role of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17A and its association with Alzheimer’s disease progression. Intensified IL-17A-mediated signaling elevated proinflammatory cytokines and upregulated amyloid-beta plaques and tau proteins in the hippocampus and cortex.
Heart-health Drugs May Be Beneficial to Protecting the Brain
Inflammation-related conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are known factors that increase the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. At the AAIC 2025 conference, researchers presented data demonstrating that taking a combination of common medications, typically used to treat diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol, may help to delay or slow cognitive decline in dementia.
More than 4,500 participants of the study that took combination therapies targeting vascular and/or metabolic conditions experienced slower cognitive decline compared to those not taking the medications. Results showed that the participants using a combination of these therapies had cognitive test scores similar to people three years younger. Participants who were on all three vascular drugs had the greatest cognitive benefits, especially semantic and working memory, and their brains showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s related pathological changes. The most effective pairing for cognitive protection was blood pressure and cholesterol drugs.
This latest study builds on other research of GLP-1 agonists, part of a class of drugs used for diabetes, weight loss and heart disease, demonstrating neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects that may help to protect the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. A comprehensive review of four GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) studies suggest that GLP-1RAs induce neuroprotective effects through anti-inflammatory actions, thereby enhancing synaptic function and reducing amyloid plaques.
Neuroinflammation is One of Several Risk Factors in Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers have long-known that several factors contribute to Alzheimer’s pathology. Neuroinflammation has emerged as an important therapeutic target in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
In the Fierce Biotech webinar “Alzheimer’s Outlook – Neuroinflammation, the Next Step”, a panel of Alzheimer’s experts noted the recent body of research pointing to the significant role of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s risk. Dr. David Morgan, Director at the Alzheimer’s Alliance and Professor at Michigan State University stated “We were looking at the genes that modify the risk, and many of these genes are found in the innate immune system and only in the innate immune system cells, so this is telling us that there’s some causal linkage between inflammation and the disease itself.” Dr. Morgan also noted that people who have had severe systemic infections that activate the immune system had an increased risk of developing dementia, which points to inflammation as being a factor.
The panel suggested Alzheimer’s is pathologically and clinically heterogeneous and that neuroinflammation is one of several factors that impacts Alzheimer’s, noting that a multi-factorial approach will be needed to effectively treat and manage the disease.
Reduction of Inflammation Markers Shows Trend Towards Non-diseased Baseline
Recent drug development efforts have been focused on mechanisms that aim to remove amyloid plaque build-up or tau tangles, which have led to the breakthrough introduction of the first disease-modifying treatments for late-stage Alzheimer’s disease in the last couple of years. Pharmaceutical development has expanded greatly beyond these two main hallmarks of the disease, including new research into the potential role of the underlying neuroinflammation involved in Alzheimer’s development.
A study by InMed Pharmaceuticals, presented at AAIC 2025, shows how its treatment candidate, INM-901, significantly reduced inflammatory biomarkers IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, KC-GRO, IL-2 and NfL. In the parallel analysis of RNA expression, several genes associated with inflammation, the endocannabinoid system, synaptic dysfunction and oxidative stress and apoptosis (cell death) were evaluated and, in some cases, INM-901 demonstrated a trend towards a return to non-diseased baseline following treatment in preclinical testing.
Neuroinflammation studies, such as the one conducted by InMed, demonstrate how targeting neuroinflammation may protect the brain from cognitive decline and presents the potential biological pathways to developing treatments to address neuroinflammation.
Alzheimer’s Research Moving at a Rapid Pace that is Changing Patient Outcomes
The AAIC 2025 conference highlighted the latest discoveries in understanding risk, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Over the last decade, Alzheimer’s research has advanced at a rapid pace, which has included the arrival of the first diseasing modifying treatments. Neuroinflammation is a known key factor in Alzheimer’s risk and has become an important target for the next generation of Alzheimer’s treatments. Companies like InMed Pharmaceuticals are taking significant steps forward in developing treatments that target neuroinflammation, among other factors that contribute to this multi-factorial disease.
Major strides continue to be made in Alzheimer’s research such as a stronger understanding of pathological factors, earlier diagnosis through new diagnostic tools, lifestyle interventions and breakthrough disease-modifying therapies – all significantly changing patient outcomes.