USF’s Aurelie Joly is exploring a gene therapy to treat canine cognitive decline. The therapy would use a modified virus to deliver genetic instructions into brain cells. Those cells would then produce a protective protein that helps shield brain cells from damage.
“It’s like a mini factory inside the body that continuously produces a beneficial protein after a single treatment,” says Joly. "The protein reduces oxidative stress, protects cells from damage and functions almost like a sunscreen for your cells." Studying cognitive decline in dogs could potentially help advance therapies for humans because dogs develop the condition naturally as they get older, as some humans do.
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