Improved cognitive and memory abilities in a patient with Alzheimer's disease treated with activated immune cells: Immune cell therapy may benefit more AD patients.

So far, the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has not been clarified, nor has patient therapy been satisfactory. Although inheritance dominates the less frequent early-onset AD in young and middle-aged individuals, environmental and immunogenetic factors have been identified in the most frequently occurring late-onset AD of higher-aged individuals, comprising 90% of AD patients. Thorough investigations have detected a prevalence of certain microbes which are known to affect brain activities in the brains of AD patients. This microbial prevalence suggests failing immune responses by immune gene variants against specific microbes. In fact, some immune gene variants have been detected significantly more often in AD patients. Failing immune responses can be corrected by activating immune cells outside the body ("in vitro") for the subsequent therapeutical injections. Activated immune cells digest and present microbial peptides better and differentiate naïve/resting immune cells to powerful effector cells, which can be used for therapy. The patient's activated immune cells can pass the blood-brain barrier and overcome chronic infections in the brain. Furthermore, activated immune cells can secrete a series of neurotrophins for the restoration of neuronal circuits. Based on the encouraging results of immunotherapy in a patient with late-onset AD, we hypothesize that therapy with the patient's activated immune cells would safely benefit many AD patients.