An international team of researchers has created the most detailed model yet of how cells regulate traffic through the nuclear pore complex—the gateway between a cell’s nucleus and its cytoplasm. The study solves a decades-old puzzle about how these pores can rapidly and selectively transport molecules, revealing that flexible protein chains create a dynamic “entropic barrier” that admits only properly escorted cargo. This computational model not only clarifies how healthy cells maintain precise control but also provides insight into diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, where this transport system fails. It opens new avenues for medical and biotech innovation, including the design of artificial nanopores for targeted therapies and biosensing.

The study focused on one such mutation in the microglial gene TREM2, an essential switch that activates microglia to clean up toxic amyloid plaques (abnormal protein deposits) that build up between nerve cells in the brain. This mutation, called T96K, is a “gain-of-function” mutation in TREM2, meaning it increases TREM2 activation and allows the gene to remain super active.

 A clinical trial from Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that two widely available medications, the diabetes drug empagliflozin (Jardiance) and intranasal insulin, safely improve brain health in people with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease.

New research by UCLA Health has identified a sex-chromosome linked gene that drives inflammation in the female brain, offering insight into why women are disproportionately affected by conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis as well as offering a potential target for intervention.

Rodney Scott, MBChB, MRCP, DipStat, PhD, Division Chief of Neurology, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley, has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Transformative Research Award. Dr. Scott will use the $2.6 million, five-year grant to investigate malfunctions in the brain’s hippocampal region, aiming to identify patterns that could lead to shared therapies for patients with autism, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease.